Win your Happily Eve. Local hospice, Willow Burn, based in Lanchester are offering one very lucky couple the c. Read More

Consett Shop celebra. On Thursday 5th May the staff in our Consett Shop held a party to celebrate the annivers. Read More

Fantastic Volunteers. Our fantastic volunteers Julia and Beryl, together with the help of their friends, are b. Read More

Willow Burn Wonsie W. On Wednesday 20th April, St. Pius RC Primary School in Consett took part in a Willow Bur. Read More

Consett Shop holds 1. On 5th May Consett Shop will be holding a Birthday Party to celebrate the anniversary of. Read More

Thank you to our Vol. We recently held a bucket collection on the streets of Chester-le-Street raising a fanta. Read More

In Celebration of Qu. South Causey Inn are holding a special event on Thursday 21st April 2016 in celebration. Read More

Spring Fair held Sat. Our Spring Fair was an enormous success this year making a fantastic total of £5,821.92. Read More

Exhibition with a Te. On Thursday, 7th April 7 Willow Burn Hospice held an open day to unveil an exhibition wi. Read More

TEENAGER MAKES SPORT. A champion gymnast, whose dreams were shattered by a devastating injury, is making a spo. Read More

Donate

Make a donation now and support a local charity who provides vital services to the community of Derwentside

Events

Find fundraising events at Willow Burn. Take part in our forthcoming events and help us to continue our vital work

Volunteer

Join us as a Willow Burn volunteer and know that you are making a difference to a local charity in your community

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Website designed by Azure Graphic Web Design Sunderland

Willow Burn is a registered charity, number 519659 and registered as a company limited by guarantee in the name of Derwentside Hospice Care Foundation, number 2263960 Willow Burn is VAT registered, number 888918050.

Dr John Smith: Cransley Hospice staff can hold their heads up high

Our heads go down and we mutter something like “it was nothing, anyone could have done it”.

That may be the case, but it generally isn’t, for we have made the choice to care about someone, when others might have walked away.

So it’s heads up and a big thank you for saying that.

This week it happened to me. I hadn’t seen the lady for 16 years when she said “hello”. To be honest I could not recognise her and said so. No worries because it was a long time ago when her mum was a patient in the hospice. Sixteen years on and she wanted to thank me for the care that was given.

She hadn’t forgotten and did not want to forget. What was a difficult time became a good time, and out of that time came even more good because some time later she began to work in the hospice too. It made sense of the tragedy and the memories that she has are good ones. There are no regrets.

The word hospice literally means a resting place on a journey. In the sense that we use it today the journey is coming to an end.

To rest we need support and good symptom control, to rest we need to know that our family and friends are being cared for, to rest we need people to listen to us, to hear our fears, to hear us say thank you for the life that we have been given and, yes, to be able to express our regrets for what we have struggled with, for the wrongs we may have done, to seek forgiveness and to be forgiven.

Hospice is often the place where we begin to make sense of our lives, a sort of summing up of what we have been, what we are and what we mean to others.

It is when this happens that people express their thanks. And it is not a transitory thank you either, it is almost lifelong. Yes, I can hold my head up high and Cransley Hospice and its staff should too.

Easy Rig Lease

469.317.0701

At Easy Rig Lease we make it simple and fair. Regardless of your past credit problems we can put you behind the wheel of your OWN semi truck or procure lease or financing for a trailer or any construction equipment. Semi truck financing and leasing is our specialty. Whether you see a semi truck listed for sale on this site, or have your eye on a semi truck for sale elsewhere, we will finance it for you. Easyriglease.com can pre-approve you for semi truck financing today! Current loan and lease offers available nationwide. We specialize in financing people with

Bankruptcies

Repossessions

Tax Liens

Slow Pay

Here is a sample of an application that has a good chance of getting approved

2. Provide Copy of your last 3 bank statements

3.Provide a letter of employment or letter of intent to hire. Need a job? www.elitedrivingjobs.net

You can either attach these documents to the bottom of the application or Fax them to 631-489-0129

The year 2009 proved to be another great year for the commercial truck financing industry. How commercial truck financing works is still dominated by modes of transport, Approximately 62% of the commercial truck finance portfolio is movable property. However, since then there has been a cycle of commercial truck sales going up and down. Now we are starting to see gradual increases as the market share of commercial finance truck, machinery and industrial equipment is coming back to life. Over the last year it rose from 30.8% to 32.3% and this increase is undoubtedly the result of a clear recovery in the economy, especially when it comes to financing commercial truck. The total value of commercial financing truck last year of all vehicles exceeded 12 million (about 37% more than last year), including cars and trucks amounted to about 13 million. In this group the highest proportion of truck sales came from financing commercial trucks, about 38.6% were heavy duty trucks. After four quarters of 2006 the value of financing commercial trucks was an estimated two billion and was 45% higher than 2005. The average value of a commercial truck financing loan was over 80 thousand. Easy commercial truck financing is currently the fastest growing subgroup of the leasing market of road transport. Last year, over 22% of used commercial truck financing was financed through the form of leasing and the total value of financing for commercial trucks was up by an estimated 58% higher than in the last few years. These are very good results for heavy commercial truck financing. This confirms that the leases are getting better while commercial truck financing rates remain the same. The leasing sector in the market of bad commercial credit financing truck sales and service is continuing to gain popularity among most companies, especially in Tampa fl commercial truck financing is rapidly growing amongst fleet management services. The top companies on the leasing market of financing low commercial truck loans remain relatively low because only 10 percent increases of profit were recorded in the commercial truck loans and financing segment. According to members of the Association of leasing companies the development of the industry can use government funds to help with bad commercial credit financing truck. The high demand for owner operators is constantly growing, however it is estimated that 70 percent of owner operators do not have good credit. Owner operators are the force driving the industry that is why there has to be some form of guaranteed commercial truck financing. In 2006, banks that specialized in bad credit commercial truck financing lent approximately 8 billion for the purchase of over 298.3 thousand trucks. The financial result is better than that of 2005 by 2.3% and means that fewer banks sold loans (-4.4%). The average value of commercial truck financing bad credit in 2006 was 50,000 and is almost 2.5 times less than the average amount granted for car leasing. There are 2 reasons for this disparity. First, customers of banks much more often choose a mixed option (cash + credit) to finance your vehicle which is greater than leasing on its own. Second, banks have in their portfolio a significant amount of repossessed trucks that qualify for inhouse financing on commercial trucks. They are much cheaper than new ones – for example in the case of the transfer in October by Fortis Bank and fifth in the ranking of 100% share of credit provided was for repossessed trucks. On the market for direct financing for commercial trucks most lenders guaranteed financing on commercial trucks and successfully introduced more than 10 different promotions for new vehicles. Some of them are dedicated to selected partners while others are open for everyone. According to the very optimistic forecasts of commercial truck financing for bad credit sales of new trailers and trucks, including the value of their loan should be much higher than the prior year. This is mainly because too many loans were given out. A similar dynamics of growth of credit share of funding should demonstrate that bruised credit commercial truck financing is still possible, since there is no clear evidence that repossessions fell sharply and rose. Despite this, 2010 promises to be very interesting because the presidents of the largest banks, non-automotive corporations, announced a fierce competition for the lead in the market for owner operator commercial truck financing. Remember that competition is the best guarantee of high quality low price, namely the cost of credit. So it appears that they will be more accessible and hopefully give owner operators a lower interest. Taking into consideration the total number of all credit type commercial truck financing applicants that apply for loans is steadily rising, by next year there should be more commercial truck leasing financing programs because the average time for commercial financing leasing trailer truck is 36 months.

Carl Harrison High School

Welcome to Harrison High School: Home of the Hoyas

Mission: One Team, One Goal: Student Success!

Vision:H elping O ur Y outh A chieve S uccess

Welcome to the Carl J. Harrison High School, home of the Hoyas! We’re a Georgia School of Excellence. serving high school students in Kennesaw, Georgia. We strive to live up to our reputation for excellence in our rigorous academic curriculum. our many extracurricular activities. and our outstanding athletics teams. We invite you to browse the pages of this site and learn about our exceptional programs, our dedicated administration and faculty. and the many other things our high school has to offer. Please view our school strategic plan to learn more. Check out our school’s mission and vision. We know you’ll be impressed.

Cobb Schools Extend School Day on August 21, 2017, Due to Solar Eclipse

The Cobb County School District has provided safety guidelines to schools for your child to view the solar eclipse with their classmates on August 21, 2017. Along with a delayed release at 4:15 p.m. for high school students, we will alter the regular bell schedule to begin 4th period at 1:30 p.m. to facilitate minimum day students leaving campus and student checkouts before the eclipse is readily visible. Please schedule all student checkouts on August 21, 2017, for no later than 1:30 p.m. We will excuse absences/checkouts on Monday, August 21, 2017, and they will not count against exam exemptions. Parents must be aware of the absence and/or early checkout. Please check your student’s 4th period teacher blog to know if your student’s class is viewing the eclipse outside or in the classroom with the live streaming on IPTV. If your student is going with his or her 4th period class outside to view the solar eclipse, your student must return the parent permission form from the 4th period teacher and purchase his or her own pair of approved solar eclipse glasses. Harrison High School is not providing solar eclipse glasses for students, but we are providing live streaming of the solar eclipse in all classrooms via IPTV.

Bell schedule for the day of the solar eclipse.

For more information regarding the solar eclipse, please visit the National Weather Service website .

You may also visit the Cobb County School District website for further information and helpful links.

Low Cost New York HighSpeed Internet

Cheap New York Broadband Service: DSL Cable

Whether you live in a small New York town or a big city like NYC, Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, Syracuse or Albany, ISP 1 ‘s New York Internet service special discount prices are the lowest you’ll find anywhere online. Every month ISP 1 compares the DSL and cable high speed Internet providers in New York. We review evaluate user feedback, price, speed, customer support, ease of use, Broadband availability, and more. After reviewing the July data New York’s recommended top picks for August, 2017 are:

High Speed New York Internet Access?

Anyone who has surfed the net in New York using a traditional dial up Internet connection is aware of how painfully slow web pages seem to load. New York Broadband High Speed Internet access is extremely fast and increasingly becoming a virtual necessity in today’s high tech society.

ISP 1 suggests that you try one of our low cost New York’s recommended top picks that meets your specific needs and expectations. You’ll receive blazing fast. reliable high speed Internet service for a reasonable monthly cost.

Most New York high speed services are available in NYC, Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, Syracuse or Albany. In smaller New York towns availability is more limited. Please check the links below for more information about hi speed broadband Internet access in your area of New York.

August’s Top New York High Speed Providers

NY DSL ISP

Verizon High Speed Internet fires up your existing phone line and turns it into a super fast Internet connection. With speeds up to 15 Mbps, leave the dial-up barrier behind and fly at high speed. Surf Talk at the Same Time, browse the Internet while talking on the phone. Only New York dial-up users worry about busy signals.

All packages include:

Special New York Member Discounts

24/7 live technical support

30-day money-back guarantee

9 e-mail accounts – 10 MB of Web space

Three-step Self-Installation Kit

NY DSL ISP

New York CenturyLink DSL High-Speed Internet delivers high speed Internet service to your NY home with the speed you need to do just about anything online. With connection speeds up to 12 Mbps, you can handle virtually any Internet application — and more than one at a time. Save More with CenturyLink Bundles and Get All Your CenturyLink Services on One Convenient Bill.

NY CenturyLink Internet Internet includes:

NY Cable ISP

Comcast’s blazing-fast 100% Pure Broadband in New York brings you scorching speeds, up to 100 times faster than dial-up, through a connection that’s always on. Over 8.5 million, Americans love the free bonuses included with Comcast including a Comprehensive Security Suite .

Full range of Comcast extras:

Blazing Speeds Up To 2 Gbps

FREE Comprehensive Security Suite

Surf Even Faster With PowerBoost

Comcast Photo Center

Games Galore

NY Cable ISP

New York Time Warner Cable Broadband Internet runs on an Advanced Fiber Network, so it knocks the socks off DSL and leaves dial-up in the dust. Faster surfing. Faster downloads. Just plain fast. And that’s just the beginning. Photos, games, videos, whatever you want – it’s there. It’s not just fast. It’s Broadband fast.

Learn which New York High Speed Internet Service Provider is right for you. Compare Before You Buy When you’re looking for Cable, DSL, or Satellite High Speed Internet you’ll find offers from all the providers in your area of New York. We guarantee you’ll notice the difference when you switch to a NY High Speed Internet Service.

Why Search Here?

Compare Before You Buy

Personalized Search

Save Money

Shop With Confidence

Find Offers From Providers In New York

More New York High Speed Internet Service Providers?

The fast ISP’s listed above were the Best ISP 1 recommended New York Broadband Internet service providers for the month of August. You can also view the entire list of New York High Speed Internet Providers that we review.

FREE Dial Up Internet Access in New York?

Most high speed Internet providers don’t provide dial up service. If you travel or just need to access your email from a dial up connection on your laptop try NetZero Free Dial Up NY Internet access. NetZero currently offers 10 hours per month of New York Free Internet Access.

New York’s Cheapest Unlimited Dial Up Service?

The cheapest unlimited New York dial up Internet service that ISP 1 recommends is only $8.95 per month. If you act now you can get your first month of Basic ISP Internet access FREE .

New York Broadband Services In Large Cities:

Cheap Alternatives to High-Speed Service:

New York Dial-Up Internet High-Speed Accelerated Dialup

If you don’t live in NYC, Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, Syracuse or Albany and high-speed cable or broadband DSL Internet service isn’t available in your local area of New York, or perhaps you’re just searching for a cheaper connection to the Internet, then please search our list of ISP 1 recommended dial up HighSpeed Accelerated dialup Internet Providers.

NTIA’s New York State Broadband Initiative:

NTIA awarded $8,923,532 to the state of New York in federal Broadband grants. The recipient of the grant was NY State Office of Cyber Security & Critical Infrastructure.

New York Public Service Commission Contact Information:

Help! I Don’t Know What ISP Services I Need.

If you need help deciding what type of Internet provider services you need, then check out our ISP help sections. We’ll help you find a New York Internet Service Provider that you will be satisfied with and fits your budget! If you know what you want, then compare Cheap Dial-Up Internet Plans. or browse the ISP 1 Hi Speed ISP comparison list for bargains on New York Broadband DSL. High Speed Cable. Satellite Internet. or NY Wireless Mobile Broadband Internet options.

Low Cost Washington HighSpeed Internet

Cheap Washington Broadband Service: DSL and Broadband Cable

Whether you live in a small Washington town or a big city like Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma or Vancouver, ISP 1 ‘s Washington Internet service special discount prices are the lowest you’ll find anywhere online. Every month ISP 1 compares the DSL and cable high speed Internet providers in Washington. We review evaluate user feedback, price, speed, customer support, ease of use, Broadband availability, and more. After reviewing the July data Washington’s recommended top picks for August, 2017 are:

High Speed Washington Internet Access?

Anyone who has surfed the net in Washington using a traditional dial up Internet connection is aware of how painfully slow web pages seem to load. Washington Broadband High Speed Internet access is extremely fast and increasingly becoming a virtual necessity in today’s high tech society.

ISP 1 suggests that you try one of our low cost Washington’s recommended top picks that meets your specific needs and expectations. You’ll receive blazing fast. reliable high speed Internet service for a reasonable monthly cost.

Most Washington high speed services are available in Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma or Vancouver. In smaller Washington towns availability is more limited. Please check the links below for more information about hi speed broadband Internet access in your area of Washington.

August’s Top Washington High Speed Providers

WA DSL ISP

Verizon High Speed Internet fires up your existing phone line and turns it into a super fast Internet connection. With speeds up to 15 Mbps, leave the dial-up barrier behind and fly at high speed. Surf Talk at the Same Time, browse the Internet while talking on the phone. Only Washington dial-up users worry about busy signals.

All packages include:

Special Washington Member Discounts

24/7 live technical support

30-day money-back guarantee

9 e-mail accounts – 10 MB of Web space

Three-step Self-Installation Kit

WA DSL ISP

Washington CenturyLink DSL High-Speed Internet delivers high speed Internet service to your WA home with the speed you need to do just about anything online. With connection speeds up to 12 Mbps, you can handle virtually any Internet application — and more than one at a time. Save More with CenturyLink Bundles and Get All Your CenturyLink Services on One Convenient Bill.

WA CenturyLink Internet Internet includes:

WA Cable ISP

Comcast’s blazing-fast 100% Pure Broadband in Washington brings you scorching speeds, up to 100 times faster than dial-up, through a connection that’s always on. Over 8.5 million, Americans love the free bonuses included with Comcast including a Comprehensive Security Suite .

Full range of Comcast extras:

Blazing Speeds Up To 2 Gbps

FREE Comprehensive Security Suite

Surf Even Faster With PowerBoost

Comcast Photo Center

Games Galore

WA Cable ISP

Washington Time Warner Cable Broadband Internet runs on an Advanced Fiber Network, so it knocks the socks off DSL and leaves dial-up in the dust. Faster surfing. Faster downloads. Just plain fast. And that’s just the beginning. Photos, games, videos, whatever you want – it’s there. It’s not just fast. It’s Broadband fast.

Learn which Washington High Speed Internet Service Provider is right for you. Compare Before You Buy When you’re looking for Cable, DSL, or Satellite High Speed Internet you’ll find offers from all the providers in your area of Washington. We guarantee you’ll notice the difference when you switch to a WA High Speed Internet Service.

Why Search Here?

Compare Before You Buy

Personalized Search

Save Money

Shop With Confidence

Find Offers From Providers In Washington

More Washington High Speed Internet Service Providers?

The fast ISP’s listed above were the Best ISP 1 recommended Washington Broadband Internet service providers for the month of August. You can also view the entire list of Washington High Speed Internet Providers that we review.

FREE Dial Up Internet Access in Washington?

Most high speed Internet providers don’t provide dial up service. If you travel or just need to access your email from a dial up connection on your laptop try NetZero Free Dial Up WA Internet access. NetZero currently offers 10 hours per month of Washington Free Internet Access.

Washington’s Cheapest Unlimited Dial Up Service?

The cheapest unlimited Washington dial up Internet service that ISP 1 recommends is only $8.95 per month. If you act now you can get your first month of Basic ISP Internet access FREE .

Washington Broadband Services In Large Cities:

Cheap Alternatives to High-Speed Service:

Washington Dial-Up Internet High-Speed Accelerated Dialup

If you don’t live in Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma or Vancouver and high-speed cable or broadband DSL Internet service isn’t available in your local area of Washington, or perhaps you’re just searching for a cheaper connection to the Internet, then please search our list of ISP 1 recommended dial up HighSpeed Accelerated dialup Internet Providers.

NTIA’s Washington State Broadband Initiative:

NTIA awarded $7,314,042 to the state of Washington in federal Broadband grants. The recipient of the grant was Washington State Department of Information Services.

Washington Public Service Commission Contact Information:

Help! I Don’t Know What ISP Services I Need.

If you need help deciding what type of Internet provider services you need, then check out our ISP help sections. We’ll help you find a Washington Internet Service Provider that you will be satisfied with and fits your budget! If you know what you want, then compare Cheap Dial-Up Internet Plans. or browse the ISP 1 Hi Speed ISP comparison list for bargains on Washington Broadband DSL. High Speed Cable. Satellite Internet. or WA Wireless Mobile Broadband Internet options.

High Risk Merchant Accounts

One fact about High Risk Businesses is that a majority of merchant account providers will turn them down.

Most merchant account providers believe that the unpredictable industries are just too difficult to work with. In almost all cases, they will instantly decline the company due to the uncertainty. Truthfully, there are a lot of businesses and industries that regular merchants simply refuse to help.

Merchants decline industries that are categorized as dangerous. Most providers are wary of anything associated with a risky business.

Merchant Account Providers are liable for your risk

As a respectable and dependable merchant, it can be quite frustrating to have processing companies tell you that the company you are in means that the risk is just too high. Although you might know and have the books to prove that your business has been reliable, many will shy away because of the future damage it might cause. If a bank gives an account to a merchant that later has financial trouble, it can be damaging to the provider. Hence, why many banks feel they need to look out for high risk merchants to protect themselves.

What makes a business “high risk”?

Merchant providers mark a company high risk due to a lot of factors. Generally though, the two most important factors and conditions is the reputation of the industry that you are in and the sustainability of the businesses itself.

The respectability of the industry basically means the way that business is conducted and its image. For example, most online businesses are considered to be unpredictable because of the potential to have high traffic and susceptibility to consumer data theft. When consumers are ordering online there is always a danger that data can be stolen and account providers can not ignore this unfortunate fact.

Another problems is the view of your industry. One can understand that gambling establishments can be seen as being a uncertain due to their historic connections to being part of sketchy industries. But does anyone think that selling online supplements and health products are viewed as being part of a high risk industry just like gambling? Any company that has elevated levels of fraud or possibly consumer distrust means that a bank or other processing agency could consider it to be high risk.

Charge Backs and Sustainability

Any company with a relatively high charge back rate such as a travel business, are also high risk merchant accounts. If customers are often canceling transactions and requesting refunds, it is a exposure to possible fraud. Merchant account providers do not want to see a large amount of charge backs because from a corporate stand point, it’s the bank putting it on the line when a refund is issued. There is a reason why most providers back away from businesses like this.

Another factor into whether or not you are a high risk merchant is how long the business has been around. If you are within the first few years of a business or in a relatively new industry, it can be difficult to prove your sustainability over time without a track record. Any provider is looking for a business and an industry that is going to succeed and they need the data to back that up before they work with you.

What can a high risk merchant account do?

Luckily, there are a number of providers that specialize in this type of account. Payment Savvy is one of them. We understand the risks that are involved in your type of business. We understand the problems of running a risky business that might have complications like not using credit cards.

A lot of providers try to take advantage of the situation and the fact that a lot of people will not work with these industries. There are some providers out there that will get you a high risk account, however, they will most likely give you monstrous rates, which we feel is very unethical. We understand your needs and we want your business to succeed.

Why not check our post on Next Day Funding and how our services can support you with fast, high risk credit card processing.

Contact us today

Give us a call to find out more about high risk merchant accounts. We’ll provide all the services that you need to make your business a success.

Here is a list of just SOME of the high risk merchant accounts we work with:

Amusement and Recreation Services

Bail Bondsman

Car and Truck Rentals

Check Cashing Services

Collection Agencies

Consumer Finance

Detective and PI Agencies

Ecommerce and downloading software

Gun and Firearm Stores

Inbound/Outbound Telemarketing

Infomercials

Insurance products

Investment Opportunities

Installment Loans

Mortgage Services

Multilevel Marketing

Nutraceutical Merchant Accounts

Pawn Shops

Travel Agencies

Used Car Sales

Wholesale Club

No matter what your industry or business is, chances are that we have worked within the industry in the past or are currently working it now. Businesses trust Payment Savvy with their high risk merchant accounts; they know that we provide them with a high level of service, have tremendous value, and they trust our experience.

Enrollment

School doesn’t have to be boring! Our unique curriculum and school environment may be just right for you. Admission to New Technology High School is open to all students on a nondiscriminatory basis; we are nonsectarian and do not charge tuition for admission to the school. See why you should choose NTHS!

Who are We?

Project-based learning, small class sizes and personal relationships with instructors create an environment in which students are responsible for their own learning. Learn more about the outstanding staff that makes New Tech such a unique learning environment. Learn More

Schedule a Visit

Since it opened its doors in 1996, New Tech High has hosted over 15,000 visitors, including international, national and state educators and business, government and organization leaders. We offer tours for prospective students, community members, as well as, study tours and trainings through our Center for Excellence. Learn More

Support New Tech High!

2016-17 Family Giving

Our Annual Family Giving campaign is a vital component of our fundraising efforts to continue to provide an innovative learning experience for all New Tech High students. Families are asked to give $1,000 or to the best of their ability. 100% participation is what matters most. Learn more about the Friends of New Tech.

$51,415.00 Donated to Date

College Persistence

Preparing students to be ready for college is a vital role of our Road to Success. However, helping students create a plan in which they are committed to finishing college matters just as much. According to the National Clearinghouse, over the last 6 years, New Tech High students persist in college (stay enrolled and finish) at a rate of 88%. We are proud of this! Click below to find out more about our Road to Success.

New Technology High School

“Napa New Technology High School is an innovative leader in Project-based Learning celebrating twenty years of success educating and transforming students’ lives.

Our Mission is to inspire students to be responsible, resilient, and personally successful in the rapidly changing 21st century, and to be a student-centered model for educational innovation.”

CloudFormatter is a complete installation of RenderX XEP in the Cloud. A small client-side application is used to bundle and send your document to RenderX’s Cloud which returns PDF.

Now our users can leverage the best formatting solution for their documents while eliminating the complexity in installation, integration, and setup. Simple client-side code can accept XML+XSL or XSL-FO. The client-side application can bundle all images referenced in the document and sends to a remote formatter via a web message, returning resulting PDF directly to your application. RenderX’s CloudFormatter is the ideal solution for on-demand formatting of documents to PDF. Learn more.

At the heart of each RenderX publishing solution is RenderX XEP Engine. XEP is continually improved in the quality of formatting, standards’ conformance, support for advanced features and in compliance to strict requirements to the formatted output of print-ready materials.

XEPWin is a combination of code and applications targeted at XEP users and programmers on the Windows platform. XEPWin installs surrounding the XEP Engine and wraps all functionality with a .NET service, exposing all core rendering functionality to .NET applications and programming interfaces.

XEPWin core product comes with support for output of PDF, PDF/X, PDF/A, PostScript and our own XML output capabilities. Additional output modules are available as add-ons to the core product. These include PDF Forms, AFP, Microsoft XPS, PPML, SVG and HTML formats. Learn more.

Visual-XSL (VisualXSL) is a graphical-based application for designing XSL style sheets primarily used as an overlay for forms. With an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop interface, Visual-XSL (VisualXSL) does all the hard work for you.

VDPMill is a complete solution with very high performance rendering of both large print files as well as singular large reports.

VDPMill can generate very large batch print files hundreds of thousands of pages in a single file. Through the use of a multi-threaded formatting grid for documents, the components of this print file can be formatted simultaneously to meet any performance demands. Learn more.

RenderX has an effective application for you to deliver TransPromo variable marketing advertisements within a complete solution. TransPromo advertising in a PDF, PostScript and AFP electronic and print format can easily be injected into your application.

TransPromo, aka statement-based marketing , integrates a TRANSactional document with PROMOtional marketing and provides an opportunity to blend marketing messages with must-read transaction statements, such as invoices and statements, to influence behavior and ultimately drive business volume. Learn more.

RenderX provides standalone software products as well as server and desktop components that can be integrated into larger business solutions, all based on XEP – our original commercial engine. All of our products support content in multiple languages and any level of layout complexity. They arrange and format text, tables, graphics, and images to generate professional, typeset-quality print products and enhanced electronic products for distribution with advanced features such as interactive links, bookmarks and electronic security.

Based on patented XML to PDF technology RenderX products are integral to three primary technical applications:

Our patented software is used in many industries to generate database reports (batch reports). These dynamic reports can be for display on the web; or a document in a work flow inside of a business system; or to stream data to printers for mailings such as bills and statement rendition. It’s used in many ways across many industries.Learn more.

When implemented as a server component to combine structured and unstructured content, our software provides dynamic typeset documents. Many leading organizations use our software to create high volumes of documents such as applications, financial prospectus, mortgages and loan packages. Learn more.

RenderX provides exceptional support to assist our customers in using our products in their applications. Our customers work in tight cooperation with our engineers and get professional advice about both RenderX software and information technology in general.

MCAT Test Scores and Medical School Requirements

New MCAT scoring and GPAs required by US medical schools and Canadian medical schools are provided in this website. To guide you in your journey to medical school, this page will provide you with helpful information such as new MCAT test scores range (good, high and highest scores), scores percentiles, your chance of medical school admission, and advice on how to attain a high MCAT score.

How the new MCAT is scored

The MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) is a prerequisite for admission to nearly all the medical schools in North America. This is administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) in hundreds of testing centers in the United States, Canada and around the world.

In 2015, over 64,000 premed applicants to American and Canadian medical schools submitted their MCAT test results. While the actual weight given to MCAT scores in the admissions process varies from school to school, often they are regarded in a similar manner to your premed GPA (i.e. your academic standing).

The MCAT has four sections, namely; (1) Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems; (2) Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems; (3) Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior; and (4) Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills.

Each section is scored from a low of 118 to a high of 132 while the midpoint is 125. The total score results from a combination of the four sections’ scores. Total score range is from 472 to 528, with a midpoint of 500.

The MCAT score report that you will receive would reflect the scores’ percentiles, confidence bands that show your true score range, and score profiles that reflect your strengths and weaknesses. For your guide on new MCAT scores, click here: MCAT Score Report .

MCAT scores are released 30 to 35 days after the exam. Click here: MCAT Score Reporting System

Average MCAT Test Scores

To look at average MCAT scores and GPA, click here: US Medical Schools MCAT Scores and Canadian Medical Schools MCAT Scores

Note: ‘Average MCAT score’ refers to the average of students who were accepted to medical school. Apart from your MCAT score, your GPA and non-academic factors like your personal statement and/or autobiographical material, letters of reference, and the medical school interview influence your chance of getting accepted to medical school.

* The percentage of students whose scores were lower than yours. Percentile ranks are not used as criteria for medical school admissions. The scaled score is what matters for medical school admissions. Every year, the AAMC releases MCAT score percentiles which gives exam takers an idea on how they fared compared to others who took the exam. For MCAT scores percentiles for past MCAT test dates, click here: MCAT Research and Data

Old and New MCAT Scores Accepted by Medical Schools

MCAT scores that date back two or three years are accepted by most medical schools. Although the MCAT has changed in 2015, some medical schools will accept the old MCAT scores until the 2018 application cycle, while some require the new MCAT score for the 2017 application cycle. For a list of medical schools and their acceptance policy, click here: MCAT exam policy .

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Customized Solutions

When choosing a processing solution most business owners ask: who has the best credit card processing rates? While rates are a part of the right answer you need a partner who understands your unique needs and tops the comparison lists of credit card merchant services companies, so you know you’re working with the best. Based on real credit card processing companies reviews you’ll find Leap Payments A+ Better Business Bureau rating sets us apart from the competition.

Unique Customer Service

Many merchant credit card processors look at your business as a mere dollar sign to cash in on and they lose sight of honest customer service. The true value of a merchant services company is revealed in an instant when you search credit card processing reviews online. Unlike our competition we’ll know you by name, not by your account number. Our support is 100% US-based and available anytime you need us.

Cashflow is crucial to business success and for our clients we ensure that you won’t be waiting to get paid for your credit card processing. With Leap Payments you can rely on receiving your deposits promptly in order to keep your business running smoothly. Our clients attest that services like next day funding is why Leap Payments is one of the best rated credit card merchant services companies.

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Permanent fund restructure, income tax combo gets first hearing in Alaska House

Lawmakers are looking to the permanent fund as a long-term solution to Alaska s $3 billion budget shortfall. But they have different opinions on how to use it. Three proposals are up for debate.

The newest one is House Bill 115. which got a first hearing in the House Finance Committee Monday. The hybrid bill, backed by the House majority, combines a state income tax with annual use of the permanent fund s earnings.

The measure proposes an annual draw of 4.75 percent of the market value of the permanent fund. One-third of that draw would pay annual Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) checks to residents, while the other two-thirds would go to the state s general fund to pay for state services.

The problem is if the only thing you re doing is restructuring and decreasing the dividend, then you’re hitting one segment of the economy much harder – that’s lower-income, and rural and larger families, said Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, co-chair of the House Finance Committee.

That s where Seaton says the income tax comes in.

HB 115 creates an income tax that would be 15 percent of what Alaskans pay in federal taxes. For example, a family of four with a combined annual income of $80,000 would owe $713 in state taxes, according to Seaton s office.

The measure also lets residents use their PFD checks to offset the tax liability.

So you have a much more fair and equitable balance to the whole system if you have contributions that are both regressive and progressive so that all kinds of Alaska families are contributing about the same amount, Seaton said.

But that s where House minority members say the bill goes too far.

When you couple in the income tax as a piece to it, I think it really creates a problem, said Rep. Lance Pruitt, R-Anchorage, adding that he does not support an income tax this year. There are aspects of this bill now that many people couldn’t support.

I think it’s two, huge policy discussions that should be taken up independently, but should the bill make it to the Senate Finance Committee, we’ll review it together, MacKinnon told reporters at a press conference Monday.

The two-in-one bill is the only one of its kind, which could make HB 115 the easiest or the hardest permanent fund bill to pass.

Shelly Island: The new beach off North Carolina s Outer Banks

by CBS News on Jul 03, 13:35

There s a new attraction for thousands of people enjoying the long holiday weekend on North Carolina s Outer Banks. Shelly Island is a destination you won t find on a standard map. The giant barrier island suddenly formed in the Atlantic Ocean, almost overnight. CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann reports the mile-long island, which measures as wide [ ]

Source of allegation vs. Sanders wife says info was hearsay

by Associated Press on Jul 03, 13:29

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) A Republican lawyer who reported independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and his wife to federal officials was passing on information he heard from a GOP lawmaker who says he didn t have direct knowledge of the allegations. The lawyer, Brady Toensing, sent letters to federal officials alleging that Sanders office pressured a [ ]

Alaska Fish and Game biologists gear up for annual caribou count

by Daniella Rivera on Jul 03, 13:17

It s all about caribou this time of year for Nick Demma, a wildlife research biologist with Alaska s Department of Fish and Game. Every year, driven by insects pestering them, caribou seek relief together in massive herds, ranging from a few hundred, to tens of thousands by gathering on snow patches or finding a ridge [ ]

Alaska State Troopers: Kake man dies in boating accident

by Associated Press on Jul 03, 12:57

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) Alaska State Troopers say a 59-year-old Kake man has died in a boating accident. Troopers say Willis Cavanaugh went missing after a boat he was in went aground in Herring Bay on Admiralty Island. Troopers say they were notified Sunday afternoon that one of the occupants in the boat was missing [ ]

Taxi crashes into pedestrians near Logan International Airport

by CBS News on Jul 03, 11:38

Automakers U.S. sales skid, marking sixth straight month of decline

by CBS News on Jul 03, 11:32

DETROIT – Ford Motor (F), General Motors (GM) and Hyundai reported U.S. sales drops last month, apparently dragging the industry to its sixth straight month of declining numbers as auto sales slow from last year s record pace. Ford says its sales declined 5.1 percent, while GM was off 4.7 percent. Korean automaker Hyundai said its [ ]

Story Time with Aunt Phil: The first flight in Alaska

by Laurel Downing Bill on Jul 03, 11:18

As Alaskans gear up to celebrate the Fourth of July, there will be many who chose to fly to their cabins, favorite fishing holes and secret getaways to spend the holiday. Alaska has six times as many pilots and 16 times as many planes per capita than any other state in the union. As [ ]

The high life? Couple weds in pot facility to back new laws

by Associated Press on Jul 03, 11:03

LAS VEGAS (AP) A groom donned a bud of marijuana in his coat pocket as he and his bride said I do inside a Las Vegas facility growing the drug that s newly legal to buy. Anna Balfe-Taylor says she had to think about it when Mark Balfe-Taylor asked her to marry him inside the [ ]

High availability for Bitbucket Server

This page describes how to set up a single Bitbucket Server instance in a highly available configuration.

For Active/Active high availability with Bitbucket Server. see Bitbucket Data Center instead.

For guidance on using Bitbucket Data Center as part of your disaster recovery strategy. see the Disaster recovery guide for Bitbucket Data Center .

If Bitbucket Server is a critical part of your development workflow, maximizing application availability becomes an important consideration. There are many possible configurations for setting up a HA environment for Bitbucket Server, depending on the infrastructure components and software (SAN, clustered databases, etc.) you have at your disposal. This guide provides a high-level overview and the background information you need to be able to set up a single Bitbucket Server in a highly available configuration.

Note that Atlassian’s Bitbucket Data Center product uses a cluster of Bitbucket Server nodes to provide Active/Active failover. It is the deployment option of choice for larger enterprises that require high availability and performance at scale, and is fully supported by Atlassian. Read about Failover for Bitbucket Data Center .

High availability

High availability describes a set of practices aimed at delivering a specific level of availability by eliminating and/or mitigating failure through redundancy. Failure can result from unscheduled down-time due to network errors, hardware failures or application failures, but can also result from failed application upgrades. Setting up a highly available system involves:

Change management (including staging and production instances for change implementation)

This guide assumes that processes such as change management are already covered and will focus on redundancy / replication and failover procedures. When it comes to setting up your infrastructure to quickly recover from system or application failure, you have different options. These options vary in the level of uptime they can provide. In general, as the required uptime increases, the complexity of the infrastructure and the knowledge required to administer the environment increases as well (and by extension the cost goes up as well).

Understanding the availability requirements for Bitbucket Server

Central version control systems such as Subversion, CVS, ClearCase and many others require the central server to be available for any operation that involves the version control system. Committing code, fetching the latest changes from the repository, switching branches or retrieving a diff all require access to the central version control system. If that server goes down, developers are severely limited in what they can do. They can continue coding until they’re ready to commit, but then they’re blocked.

Git is a distributed version control system and developers have a full clone of the repository on their machines. As a result, most operations that involve the version control system don’t require access to the central repository. When Bitbucket Server is unavailable developers are not blocked to the same extent as with a central version control system.

As a result, the availability requirements for Bitbucket Server may be less strict than the requirements for say Subversion.

Consequences of Bitbucket Server unavailability

2-10 min (application failure)

hours-days (system failure)

Single node, no secondary server available

Application and server are monitored

Upon failure of production system, automatic restarting is conducted via scripting

Disk or hardware failure may require reprovisioning of the server and restoring application data from a backup

Secondary server is available

Bitbucket Server is NOT running on secondary server

Filesystem and (optionally) database data is replicated between the ‘active’ server and the ‘standby’ server

All requests are routed to the ‘active’ server

On failure, Bitbucket Server is started on the ‘standby’ server and shut down on the ‘active’ server. All requests are now routed to the ‘standby’ server, which becomes ‘active’.

Secondary service is available

Bitbucket Server is running on both the ‘active’ server and the ‘standby’ server, but all requests are routed to the ‘active’ server

Filesystem and database data is replicated between the ‘active’ server and the ‘standby’ server

All requests are routed to the ‘active’ server

On failure, all requests are routed to the ‘standby’ server, which becomes ‘active’

This configuration is currently not supported by Bitbucket Server, because Bitbucket Server uses in-memory caches and locking mechanisms. At this time, Bitbucket Server only supports a single application instance writing to the Bitbucket Server home directory at a time.

Provided by Bitbucket Data Center. using a cluster of Bitbucket Server nodes and a load balancer.

Bitbucket Server is running, and serving requests, on all cluster nodes.

Filesystem and database data is shared by all cluster nodes. Clustered databases are not yet supported.

All requests are routed to the load balancer, which distributes requests to the available cluster nodes. If a cluster node goes down, the load balancer immediately detects the failure and automatically directs requests to the other nodes within seconds.

Bitbucket Data Center is the deployment option of choice for larger enterprises that require high availability and performance at scale.

Automatic correction

Before implementing failover solutions for your Bitbucket Server instance consider evaluating and leveraging automatic correction measures. These can be implemented through a monitoring service that watches your application and performs scripts to start, stop, kill or restart services.

A Monitoring Service detects that the system has failed.

A correction script attempts to gracefully shut down the failed system.

If the system does not properly shut down after a defined period of time, the correction script kills the process.

After it is confirmed that the process is not running anymore, it is started again.

If this restart solved the failure, the mechanism ends.

If the correction attempts are not or only partially successful a failover mechanism should be triggered, if one was implemented.

Cold standby

The cold standby (also called Active/Passive) configuration consists of two identical Bitbucket Server instances, where only one server is ever running at a time. The Bitbucket home directory on each of the servers is either a shared (and preferably highly available) network file system or is replicated from the active to the standby Bitbucket Server instance. When a system failure is detected, Bitbucket Server is restarted on the active server. If the system failure persists, a failover mechanism is started that shuts down Bitbucket Server on the active server and starts Bitbucket Server on the standby server, which is promoted to ‘active’. At this time, all requests should be routed to the newly active server.

For each component in the chain of high availability measures, there are various implementation alternatives. Although Atlassian does not recommend any particular technology or product, this guide gives options for each step.

System setup

This section describes one possible configuration for how to set up a single instance of Bitbucket Server for high availability.

Affordable Storage Inc is located at the address 1635 W Pembroke Ave Ste A in Hampton, Virginia 23661. They can be contacted via phone at (757) 723-6551 for pricing, hours and directions.

Affordable Storage Inc has an annual sales volume of 0 – 500K. For more information contact Dan Bolkhel, Owner or go to www.affordablestorageva.com

Affordable Storage Inc provides Dry Storage Units, Self.

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We offer self storage to keep your personal items safe while you are moving, haveing work done to the house, TDY, or just need a place to put your access items till you can make room for them. We are open 7 days a week and will stay later if needed to assist with your move in. We are the friendlier more affordable storage company.

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Average Rating 20

I rented a unit for one month back in July 2007. As of today, March 4, 2008, I have not received my $10.00 deposit. I have spoken to them several times. I will not stop until I get my money. Are there others who have not gotten their deposit?

Posted by jj9801 on March 03, 2008. Brought to you by localguides.

Business description (5) view all

Affordable Storage can be found at W Pembroke Ave 1635. The following is offered: Warehouse Storage. The entry is present with us since Sep 9, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 14, 2013. In Hampton there are 6 other Warehouse Storage. An overview can be found here.

A large fully equipped conference room can cater for small and large functions up to 120 people. Our friendly experienced staff are more then willing to assist with your next special event.

We can cater for Weddings, Corporate events and more. We work with you to plan a menu to suit your budget and the season and welcome you to use our grounds for your wedding ceromony . Special accommodation rates available for wedding guests.

Secured Wireless Hotspot allows access to the internet so you can still check your email or check out the weather before heading out.

Only approx 1km from the main street of Bright and within 300m of the Canyon Walking track along the sides of Oven River.

At High Country Motor Inn we have 32 spacious and well-appointed units to suit your needs. From family rooms, through to the honeymoon suite: we have the accommodation to make your stay in Bright simply delightful.

Online High School Graduation Requirements

Three diploma options

The Advanced Degree is rigorous and enables students to be somewhat more selective when choosing post-secondary education. Students will graduate with a high school diploma from Liberty University Online Academy. Advanced Degree Completion Plan

The Standard diploma enables prospective students to attend most universities, some vocational or technical schools, and community college. Students will graduate with a high school diploma from Liberty University Online Academy. Standard Diploma Degree Completion Plan

The Associate of Arts diploma provides students an introduction to liberal arts education that prepares them for a bachelor s degree program at a four-year college or university. Students will graduate with an Associate of Arts degree from Liberty University along with a Liberty University Online Academy high school diploma. Associate of Arts Diploma Degree Completion Plan

No matter which degree completion plan your student decides upon, he or she has the option to take Dual Enrollment courses.

Class Standing

For class standing and placement students are encouraged to meet the following requirements:

Grade

Requirements

Successfully complete 8th grade

Accumulate a minimum of 7 credits

Accumulate a minimum of 13 credits

Accumulate a minimum of 19 credits; plan to graduate in the immediate year

LUOA GRADUATE PROFILES

Check out our Graduate Profiles page to see a list of schools our students have been accepted to after graduating from LUOA.

Credit earned outside of Liberty University Online Academy

Students who would like to earn credit for a course taken outside of LUOA while enrolled full-time should follow the steps below. In order to be considered full time with LUOA, students must take at least 5 credits through the LUOA curriculum.

Submit the Non-Institutional Credit (NIC) form to the counselor. Include textbooks/curriculum, scope sequence, planned method of evaluation, instruction time, etc.

LUOA Department Chair will approve or deny course

If approved, Chair will comment on expectations.

Upon completion of course, include documentation (example of written activities, graded assessments, final grades, etc.) to updated form and submit to Academic Advisor.

Department Chair will assess completion of paperwork and award/deny credit.

If awarded, course will be added to student s transcript and graduation plan as a transfer credit taken outside of LUOA.

*Note: Final grade of course taken through an outside accredited institution will be included in student s GPA. Homeschool courses will be issued a final grade of P on a transcript and will not affect the GPA.

Admission to Colleges and Universities

Students planning to pursue higher education should research the entrance requirements of the particular school they wish to attend. The ACT or SAT examination is required for admission to many colleges and universities. These tests are usually offered during the spring of a student s junior or senior year.

Upon request, LUOA will send a copy of the student s academic records to a prospective college or university. To request a transcript, contact Liberty University Online Academy offices. Allow three to four weeks to process requests during summer months.

Achievement Testing

LUOA offers students the nationally recognized Stanford Achievement Test Series, Tenth Edition Online (Stanford 10 Online) in the spring of each school year. Testing students in language usage, mathematics and reading, the exam is monitored by the parent and requires no proctor or designated testing days. The Stanford 10 Online is an adaptive exam administered online, so testing is faster and more effective than traditional methods. Test results are usually available within one day. Testing is administered by Pearson Learning Assessment.

You are here

Home Equity to Consolidate Debts – Refinance Your Home or Get a Second Mortgage

What does using home equity to consolidate your debts mean? Essentially it is using the equity in your home / refinancing your home to consolidate your debts into one payment in order to pay off your debts.

A “Home Equity Loan”, “Home Equity Line”,”refinancing your mortgage / re-mortgage” and getting a “second mortgage” are all different names for the same thing and are sometimes used as a debt consolidation option. These terms refer to the bank lending you money against the portion of your home that you own. So if the bank thinks that your home is worth $300,000 and your mortgage is for $250,000, then you own $50,000 of your house. This is called your “equity”.

Increasing your mortgage is something that the bank may let you do, by taking out a second mortgage to use up some of this equity to pay off your debts. (Check out our handy mortgage and debt consolidation calculator ). You would then have two mortgages: your first mortgage and a second mortgage which could be the debt consolidation home loan . If this is something you’re interested in doing, speak with your bank or credit union to find out how it works, to get information about the mortgage rules in Canada and if this option could work for you. Sometimes if you have bad credit. it might be difficult to get a debt consolidation loan. so using home equity could be another possibility. Check with a Credit Counsellor to make sure that you choose the right option.

Selling Your House to Pay Off Debt – Talk to a Credit Counsellor About Consolidating Debts

You could also sell your house to pay off debts. though this should be a last resort and pertain to your situation, e.g. down-sizing in retirement. There are things to know before using your home equity line. so to choose the best way / option that fits your situation, especially if you’re retired and your income has changed, talk to a trusted, accredited non-profit Credit Counsellor.

Interest Rates for Second Mortgages – Can Be Higher Than First, Talk to Your Bank About Using Your Home Equity

Sometimes you can get the same interest rate on your second mortgage as you got on your first mortgage, but this isn’t always possible (talk to your lender to find out more). If you do have to pay a higher interest rate on your second mortgage, you can set up the due date / term to correspond with the due date / term for your first mortgage. This will allow you to combine them at the bank’s best interest rate when they need to be renewed.

Re-mortgaging may also be an option that your lender can explain to you. It may allow you to keep a low interest rate, only have one mortgage payment and still give you funds to pay off other debts.

History of Mortgage Rates in Canada – Declining Since 1980’s

Ever since the early 1980’s mortgage rates have been declining in Canada. They peaked at over 20% at that time but are now typically offered in the 3% – 6% range. It is wise to remain mindful of the fact that we are currently living with historically low interest rates. This means that we cannot count on them to stay this low forever. The average five year mortgage rate over the past 60 years has been 8.95%. So if you are considering refinancing your home, make sure you can afford an “average” interest rate of 9% in the long term.

Finance companies and sub-prime lenders also offer mortgages. Their interest rates will almost always be higher than the bank’s and can often range between 14% – 30%. These rates are a lot higher because these companies tend to lend money / cash to people in financial situations that involve more risk than banks usually want to take on.

High interest loans like these can be used as a tool to get you from point A to point B, but you should do your best to find a better arrangement as fast as possible. It is very hard to get ahead paying really high interest rates.

Advantages of Using a Second Mortgage to Consolidate Debt

The interest rates are typically low

Flexible payment arrangements. You can usually extend your amortization (the length of time required to pay back the loan) to create an ideal monthly payment

Disadvantages of a Second Mortgage

You must have enough equity in your home as well as income to make both mortgage payments

You may be charged a number of fees for the costs involved in setting up a second mortgage

Banks often don’t like to do small second mortgages. $10,000 may be the minimum that they will consider

Contact Us for More Information About How to a Use Home Equity Line to Consolidate Debts

﻿We can give you information on how to use home equity to consolidate debts / pay off debts. Contact us by phone at 1-888-527-8999, send us an email or chat with us online right now. One of our Credit Counsellors will be happy to offer you debt consolidation advice . Our appointments are free, confidential and informative. You may have other options that are better for your situation, so before you increase your mortgage, take out a second one (at a higher interest rate) or apply for a home equity loan. give us a call.

We manufacture a mobile semi-robotic drill pipe cleaner that is installed inside 20′ foot or 40′ foot container. Once on site two operators take several hours to set up the cleaning system. Once set up the semi robotic system should easily clean forty to eighty 48′ feet pipes inside and outside in an eight our shift.

Our very basic equipment will clean 20 to 30 drill pipes in an 8 hour shift and our fully robotic system can clean up to 130 (one hundred and thirty) 14.80 metre (48′ feet) long pipes, box and pins in the same 8 hour shift.

With our robotic equipment the customer has many options.

He can clean the pipe ID first and then clean the OD.

Or if he requires fast production, he can clean both the ID and the OD at the same time.

Plastic lined pipes are not damaged due to the variable pressures of the system.

Using 2,800 bar (40,000 psi) pressure we can clean the pipes, box and pins to a surface finish suitable for NDT inspection.

With our larger pumps removing hard concrete or cement from the pipes is not a problem.

Current and Historical Checking and Savings Account Rates

Since many banks are constantly updating their interest rates offered on savings, money market and checking accounts, this chart should come in handy. On the 1st of every month, this page is updated to show the most accurate rate information available.

This list is organized in two sections. The first section includes FDIC-insured savings or money market accounts and the second includes FDIC-insured checking accounts. Each list is sorted alphabetically and unless there is a notation listed, the APY rate applies to all amounts.

New for July 2017. We saw a number of banks raise rates over the past month. Leading the pack was GS Bank, which now offers 1.20% APY on its savings account. Several other banks were close at 1.15% APY. These included Synchrony Bank. CIT Bank. and Ally Bank .

Current rates

Use the table below to search for current interest rates available on money market accounts, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit. For historical rates, scroll down.

Historical interest rates

Banks that have lowered or raised their rates in the last month are show in red and green, respectively.

Savings Account Rates

As you review the current and historical rates for savings accounts and money market accounts, keep the following in mind:

Fees. The best offers come with no monthly maintenance fees. Even a small fee can wipe out much of the yield, particularly in the current low rate environment. Before opening an account, make sure you understand what if any fees you ll pay. The best savings accounts don t charge fees.

Minimum Deposit. Many bank accounts require either a minimum deposit or a minimum balance going forward, or both. Be sure you know these requirements as you shop for the highest yield.

Tiered Rates. Some, but not all, banks offer tiered rates based on the amount of your balance. While one might assume that the rates go up as the balance goes up, that s not always the case. Some banks actually lower the rate for balances over a certain limit.

Online Banks vs Traditional Banks. As a general rule, online banks offer the highest rates. Many brick and mortar banks offer yields as low as 0.01%. It s as if they don t want your money. In contrast, online banks offer yields of 1.00% APY or more.

Checking Account Rates

With checking accounts, the interest rates tend to be lower. That s generally fine because most people don t keep a lot of money in a checking account. Any extra money one has should be moved over to a high-yield savings product. That being said, many banks do offer interest checking accounts. Here it s critical to consider fees, which are more common than on savings and money market accounts.

Finally, if you know of other bank accounts or deals we should include in our list, please leave a comment below.

Updated August 1, 2017 and originally published July 1, 2017.

About the author

View all articles by Rob Berger .

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Where can this chart be found each month?

I think this may just be a spreadsheet Flexo has been keeping for a while.

It is. It hadn t been updated for several years, and we decided to bring it back!

Right here. We updated it monthly.

Deals and Bonuses

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What is SearchFilterHost.exe?

The .exe extension on a filename indicates an exe cutable file. Executable files may, in some cases, harm your computer. Therefore, please read below to decide for yourself whether the SearchFilterHost.exe on your computer is a Trojan that you should remove, or whether it is a file belonging to the Windows operating system or to a trusted application.

SearchFilterHost.exe file information

Description: SearchFilterHost.exe is an important part of Windows, but often causes problems. SearchFilterHost.exe is located in the C:\Windows\System32 folder. Known file sizes on Windows 10/8/7/XP are 86,528 bytes (37% of all occurrences), 87,552 bytes and 13 more variants. The program has no visible window. The SearchFilterHost.exe file is a trustworthy file from Microsoft. Therefore the technical security rating is 7% dangerous. however you should also read the user reviews.

Uninstalling this variant: The software vendor offers the option to uninstall Security Update for Microsoft from your computer using the Control Panel applet Uninstall a Program.

If SearchFilterHost.exe is located in a subfolder of C:\Windows, the security rating is 19% dangerous. The file size is 87,552 bytes (90% of all occurrences) or 113,664 bytes. The program has no visible window. SearchFilterHost.exe is a trustworthy file from Microsoft. The file is not a Windows core file.

Important: Some malware camouflages itself as SearchFilterHost.exe, for example PE_VIRUX.S-4 (detected by TrendMicro), and W32.Virut.CF (detected by Symantec). Therefore, you should check the SearchFilterHost.exe process on your PC to see if it is a threat. We recommend Security Task Manager for verifying your computer’s security. This was one of the Top Download Picks of The Washington Post and PC World.

welcome to tUHSD

Message from our Superintendent

I would like to wish you all a very safe and enjoyable 4th of July holiday with your family and friends! I would also like to thank our veterans for their service to our amazing country.

We are currently enrolling for the 2017-2018 school year. Please check in with your neighborhood TUHSD school and make sure they have everything they need to ensure a smooth enrollment process for your students. We especially welcome those families who are sending their students to us for the very first time, including freshmen, student transfers, and those from other local areas. Welcome! We are so thrilled that you have selected us to provide your student with the best educational opportunities available. TUHSD is the best choice for a quality education! We look forward to making this a very rewarding school year for all of you.

As a reminder, please make a note of these important dates. Student walk-through enrollment and schedule pick-up dates are:

Friday, July 28 for Grade 12Monday, July 31 for Grades 10 and 11Tuesday, August 1 for Grade 9(Check with your school for specific times)

First Day of School for Freshmen – August 7First Day of School for All Students – August 8Parent Night at All School Sites – August 16 from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

I also want to share with you that we have just completed a very successful and well-attended Summer Academy on the campus of Sierra Linda. Enrollment for first session was 1,264 and second session was 1,083 with dedicated students that were ready to learn every day. Our summer food program, also on the campus of Sierra Linda High School, was a huge success with an average of 700 students eating a healthy, free meal every day.

While all of this was going on, we have had some great successes over the break with Sierra Linda art teacher, David Murrieta, using part of his summer to complete a mural in downtown Phoenix, highlighting Hispanic leadership and culture in Arizona. David made the news rounds and was a guest on Horizon, a public affairs show on PBS channel 8.

I would like to thank the city of Avondale for their continued partnership with our district and for inviting our students to participate in a poster contest for their annual Public Works calendar. Students in Mr. Zachary Kovach’s class submitted posters for consideration and eleven of the students’ posters were selected for inclusion in this year’s calendar. Be sure to pick up your Public Works calendar from the city of Avondale!

In addition, Jennifer Martinez, University High School’s student of the year, has been accepted to the prestigious Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA) program at Princeton University. Jennifer is one of 100 qualified high school juniors across the nation who show leadership potential and as a LEDA scholar; she will receive leadership training, writing instruction, standardized test preparation, and a year of highly personalized guidance as she navigates the application and admissions process at the most competitive colleges. Jennifer is representative of the many good things our students are accomplishing in their high school careers at TUHSD.

If you want to stay informed on everything that is happening in our district or at any of the high schools, connect with us on social media. Follow us on Facebook or on Twitter .

Sovereign bond yield spreads signal nervousness

Despite record levels in global stock markets and low levels of implied volatility, there is a lot of nervousness among investors, and nowhere it is more apparent than in sovereign bond yield spreads.

The 10-year French-German bond spread is the largest since August 2012, as the latest polls in France showed that the far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has widened her lead over rivals.

Investors not only sold their French bonds, but they also piled into German bunds. Bond prices move inversely to yields.

On Tuesday, the spread between German and French 10-year bonds hit 77.5 basis points, according to Tradeweb.

The widening in the spread is largely a function of the rally in German bunds, that depress their yields.

Meanwhile, the two-year German bond yield TMBMKDE-02Y, -1.18% fell to a record low of negative 0.8710%, underpinning the flight to safety.

The widening of the spreads has been impacting forex markets, according to analysts. As the bund yields fall and the spreads between Treasury bonds widen, it weakens the euro.

The spread between two-year Treasury notes TMUBMUSD02Y, -0.90% and two-year German bonds is at 192 basis points, according to FactSet. The spread briefly reached more than 200 basis points in late December when Treasury yields spiked to 2.6%, thanks to rapid changes in inflation expectations driven by hopes for fiscal stimulus.

“In December, it was a function of Treasury yields spiking, but now it is due to German yields dropping to the lowest levels ever,” said Simon Derrick, currency strategist at BNY Mellon.

“Outside of the December spike, the spreads are now the widest since 2000. Back then, the euro fell to its weakest levels at less than $0.90 and we all know how it played out,” Derrick said.

The relationship between interest rates and foreign exchange rates is not linear, according to Marc Chandler, global head of currency strategy at Brown Brothers Harriman.

“I view capital markets as a single entity; if you press one corner, you will see impact in other corners,” Chandler said.

“After the initial Trump trade moves, there has been a some form of a reversal in bonds, forex and stocks, but it has not been simultaneous,” said Chandler.

In fact, the S P 500 SPX, -0.11% closed at records on Tuesday at 2,365.38 and is up 5.7% year to date.

“The dollar strength has a lot to do with the weakness in euro at the moment, which is driven by interest differential. Investors are worried about Dutch elections, French elections and Greece,” Chandler said.

“While it is tempting to assign a particular narrative to financial markets, it is difficult to pinpoint a precise move. Forex levels reflect monetary policy, current account, political background and any one of those or a combination could be influencing prices day to day. Our outlook for the year has not changed and we expect to see the dollar strengthen against euro and EM currencies further,” Chandler said.

The Federal Reserve expects to raise rates three times this year, according to so-called dot plot chart. In fact, several Fed officials have recently stated that the first rate hike of 2017 may come as soon as March, if economic data continue to come in as expected.

Higher short-term rates would generally boost the dollar, as investors buy higher-yielding assets in favor of lower-yielding assets, driving the demand for U.S. currency.

But the dollar strength can have its own impact on the real economy via tighter financial conditions. A stronger dollar increases the burden of debt repayment of emerging-market governments and corporations that issued dollar-denominated bonds, squeezing their balance sheets.

The widening spreads between Treasury and German bond yields is still worrying, according to Derrick.

“I can’t help but draw parallels between the situation in 2000 and now. In fact, in 2015, I kept saying it feels like 1998 and last year I kept saying it feels like 1999,” Derrick said.

“These spreads do tend to peak just before recessions,” Derrick said.

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SAVINGS ACCOUNTS Compare and save with high interest rates

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Whether you want to open an online savings account or a childrens savings account, RateCity allows you to search, compare and apply from over 500 savings accounts. To start searching, fill in the form at the top of the page or you can choose from one of our popular direct searches at the base of this page.

What should you consider when choosing a savings account? Vital facts and considerations can be found in our Savings Account Guide. It takes you through a range of useful information and tips on choosing the right savings account and how to get the most out of your deposit. Also available is our Savings Accounts Articles which guide you through a range of definitions regarding savings accounts so you can understand the differences between a high interest account and an online savings account.

If you re not ready to purchase, and instead would rather spend more time researching then head to our Savings Account News section for advice and breaking information regarding savings accounts. Get started now.

Savings Accounts Guide

RateCity s Savings Accounts Guide provides you with tips and useful information to assist you with your decision when opening up a savings account. Whether you have a savings goal that you want to reach or if you want to earn more interest than you are currently, we provide the most up-to-date information to help you get there. See our hints and tips for all you need to know about the savings accounts and what you need to be aware of. RateCity will show you how to choose the best savings account to suit your needs and assist you in reaching your goals.

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It’s been almost twenty years since the Health Care Finance Administration (now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ) sent a memo to hospices announcing the first widespread, in-depth review of hospice medical records and patient eligibility. Focused Medical Review, as it was called in 1994, was just the beginning of the government’s search for fraud and waste in hospice.

Prior to this action, hospices that had largely avoided widespread regulatory scrutiny were suddenly being held accountable to a much higher documentation standard than ever before. During this audit, hospices struggled to demonstrate through their documentation that patients who had already died, often within days or weeks of admission, met eligibility requirements for hospice. In the days before Webinars or online education, hospices were challenged with the means to disseminate education to their staff to teach them to “paint the picture” of medical eligibility.

Today, hospices are once again facing intense scrutiny of their documentation as Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) are sending notices of Probe Edits and Additional Document Requests (ADRs). The burden on staff and financial resources to respond to these audits is taking a toll on hospices under review. Once again, many hospices are finding that they lack the documentation required to paint a picture of eligibility.

The criteria used to determine eligibility for the Hospice Medicare Benefit is specific to each MAC, and changes periodically based on new prognostication tools and research. Hospices should use the disease-specific criteria outlined in each MAC’s Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs) to determine if someone is or continues to be eligible for hospice under Medicare.

Documentation of disease-specific criteria, along with supporting information such as description of the patient’s illness trajectory, pertinent co-morbid and secondary conditions, severity of symptoms, declining functional, cognitive and nutritional status, and overall burden of illness are critical to depicting why this patient will probably die within six-months or less.

All hospice staff should be fully aware of and utilize their LCD guidelines and disease-specific criteria to document eligibility for each admission and every recertification.

Ask yourself the following questions to determine if your hospice team has the education and tools that they need to paint the picture of eligibility:

Are the LCDs easily accessible to all admission and IDT staff – either on their laptop, smartphone or in a handy printed resource?

Does your team refer to LCD criteria when discussing recertification during IDT meetings?

Does each patient’s medical record include documentation regarding his or her prognosis, both upon admission and in each recertification note?

Do your physician narratives contain key elements based upon LCD guidelines that lead the reader to the conclusion that the patient is terminally ill?

Do you conduct monthly chart audits to ensure that best practices for documenting medical eligibility are being followed?

Are ALL staff trained and regularly retrained on how to document to the LCDs, including documentation of co-morbid conditions to support medical eligibility?

If you answered “No” to any of the questions below, your hospice may be at risk for financial penalties in the event of an audit. Comprehensive documentation that paints the picture of initial and ongoing eligibility is paramount to the ongoing survival of your hospice. Training, along with ongoing chart reviews, is the best insurance you can have against future MAC audits, probes, and ADRs.

Looking for an efficient and cost-effective way to teach your entire team how to document to the LCDs? The Hospice Education Network’s Disease-Specific Hospice Eligibility Determination and Documentation Series is for you!

Do you need an objective review of your documentation or compliance system? Weatherbee Resources specializes in outsourced clinical record auditing and baseline compliance audits. The Weatherbee team can also create customized onsite staff training education or conduct webinars for your entire organization. Visit http://www.weatherbeeresources.com or call 508.778.0008 today!

Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) Test

What Is a Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) Test?

The four-sectioned parathyroid glands are located in your neck, at the edge of the thyroid gland. They’re responsible for regulating calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorus levels in the blood and bones.

The parathyroid glands release a hormone called parathyroid hormone (PTH), also known as parathormone. PTH helps regulate calcium levels in the blood.

Calcium imbalances in the blood may be a sign of parathyroid gland or PTH issues. Calcium levels in the blood signal the parathyroid glands to release PTH. When calcium levels are low, the parathyroid glands increase PTH production. When calcium levels are high, the glands slow down the secretion of PTH.

Some symptoms and medical conditions may cause your doctor to measure how much PTH is in your blood. Because of the relationship between calcium and PTH in the blood, both are often tested at the same time.

they need to figure out the cause of too much or too little calcium in the blood

Too much calcium could be a sign of hyperparathyroidism. This is a condition caused by overactive parathyroid glands that produce too much PTH. Excess calcium in the blood can lead to kidney stones, irregular heartbeats, and brain abnormalities.

Too little calcium could be a sign of hypoparathyroidism. This is a condition caused by underactive parathyroid glands that aren’t producing enough PTH. Not enough calcium in the blood could lead to:

osteomalacia (weakened bones)

muscle spasms

heart rhythm disturbances

tetany (overstimulated nerves)

Your doctor may also order this test to:

check parathyroid functioning

distinguish between parathyroid-related and nonparathyroid-related disorders

monitor the effectiveness of treatment in parathyroid-related issues

determine the cause of low phosphorus levels in the blood

determine why severe osteoporosis isn’t responding to treatment

monitor chronic conditions, such as kidney disease

What Is the Procedure for a Parathyroid Hormone Test?

You’ll need to get your blood drawn for a PTH test. Your doctor will recommend a PTH test:

if you have signs of too much or too little calcium in your blood

before having hyperparathyroidism surgery

to assess the functioning of your parathyroid gland.

Before the Test

You may need to refrain from eating or drinking for a specific period of time before the blood test. Ask your doctor about specific pretest requirements. Before having this test, tell your doctor if you have hemophilia, a history of fainting, or any other condition.

The Test

The process of taking a blood sample for testing is called venipuncture. They usually draw blood from a vein from the inner elbow or back of the hand.

Your doctor or a lab technician will sterilize the area with an antiseptic. Then they’ll wrap a plastic band around your arm to apply pressure and to help your veins swell with blood. After the veins swell, they’ll insert a sterile needle directly into the vein. The blood will collect in an attached vial. When there’s enough blood for the sample, they’ll untie the plastic band and remove the needle from the vein. They’ll clean and bandage the site of the needle insertion if necessary.

Some people experience only slight pain from the needle prick, while others may feel moderate pain, especially if the vein is difficult to locate. It’s common for the spot to throb after the procedure. Some bleeding is also common, as the needle will break the skin. For most people, bleeding is slight and won’t cause any issues.

Infants and Young Children

The testing process may be different for infants and young children. The doctor or lab technician may make a small cut to allow blood to come to the surface. They’ll then use a test strip or slide to collect a small sample of blood. They’ll clean and bandage the area if necessary.

What Do the Test Results Mean?

Your doctor will evaluate your PTH and calcium test results together to assess whether your levels are within normal ranges. If PTH and calcium are in balance, your parathyroid glands are very likely functioning properly.

If PTH levels are low, you may have a condition causing low calcium levels. Or, you may have an issue with your parathyroid glands that’s causing hypoparathyroidism.

If PTH levels are high, you could have hyperparathyroidism. Hyperparathyroidism is commonly due to a benign parathyroid tumor. If PTH levels are normal and calcium levels are low or high, the issue may not be your parathyroid glands.

High PTH levels could also indicate a lack of calcium. This could mean you’re not getting enough calcium in your diet. It can also mean that your body isn’t absorbing calcium, or you’re losing calcium through urination.

High PTH levels also point to vitamin D disorders. Maybe you’re not getting enough sunlight, or your body has trouble breaking down, absorbing, or using this vitamin. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to muscle and bone weakness.

Low PTH levels could indicate:

an autoimmune disorder

cancer originating from another part of the body has spread to the bones

you’ve ingested excess calcium over a long period of time (from milk or certain antacids)

hypoparathyroidism

low levels of magnesium in the blood

radiation exposure to the parathyroid glands

vitamin D intoxication

sarcoidosis (a disease causing inflammation to tissues)

If either PTH or calcium levels are too high or too low, your doctor may want to do additional testing to more clearly identify the problem.

The best investments for generating retirement income

Steve Vernon

MoneyWatch

Apr 22, 2013 7:16 AM EDT

The U.S. is the only advanced in economy in the world that doesn’t require employers to offer paid vacation time. Close

(MoneyWatch) Suppose you’ve done a good job investing and accumulating money in your IRA and 401(k) plan, and now you’re trying to decide how to best invest those assets to generate retirement income. Which investments might work best for you at this stage of the game?

While the answer isn’t the same for everyone, the decisions you have to make regarding asset allocation for those investments are. Each of us needs to determine the appropriate mix of investments (such as stocks, bonds, annuities and real estate) for our own situation, and we also need to choose specific investment products and services.

Welcome to Week 10 of my series ” 16 Weeks to Plan Your Retirement .” It’s time to discuss the considerations you’ll need to take into account when choosing investment vehicles for your retirement savings. You’ll also need to decide which of the retirement income generators (RIGs) I discussed in my previous post you’ll want to use to generate retirement income. If you haven’t read that post yet, you may want to review it first to more easily understand this post. Ready? Then let’s get started.

RIG No. 1: Invest your retirement savings, and use just the interest and dividends to generate retirement income.

For this purpose, I like using low-cost, no-load, broad-based mutual funds balanced between stocks and bonds. When you’re searching, look for a fund that adopts the strategies advocated by CBS MoneyWatch bloggers Allan Roth and Larry Swedroe. Keep the fees low (under 50 basis points and the lower, the better), and periodically rebalance the asset allocation between stocks and bonds to stay within prescribed targets, which enforces discipline to buy low and sell high.

Consider funds that invest at least one-third but no more than two-thirds in stocks, with the remainder invested in bonds. This type of allocation gives you the potential for growth to keep up with inflation, with protection against stock market declines. In today’s market, these types of investments will generate investment earnings of about 2 percent to 3 percent per year, depending on the specific asset allocation you’ve selected, with potential for future growth in both principal and dividend amounts. A few good funds that invest along these lines are the Vanguard Wellesley Fund (VWIAX ), the Vanguard Balanced Fund (VBIAX ), and the Vanguard Wellington Fund (VWELX ).

Target date funds that have reached their target retirement year may also fit the above goals. And a reasonable alternative for some of your investments might be mutual fund REITs (real estate investment trusts), since this type of investment can also give you income with the potential for growth.

If you’d followed such a strategy for the first 12 years of this century, which included two stock market crashes, you would have ended with more money than you started with, and you would have enjoyed a steady flow of investment earnings that had only mild fluctuations. You would have survived one of the worst periods for investing!

If you want to live on your investment earnings, I’d avoid using CDs or cash equivalents — interest rates are just too low right now to offer much income. And even if interest rates rise in the future, I’d be very concerned about a future repeat of the past few years.

On the other hand, I wouldn’t seek the highest-yielding stocks or bonds either, as these assets often have underlying risks and the high yields can evaporate.

You can use Morningsta r to help you evaluate and shop for the types of mutual funds mentioned here.

The advantage of this investing strategy combined with this RIG is that you keep your principal intact, and you don’t need to sell investments to generate retirement income. You don’t need to panic and sell when the market drops. The disadvantage is that this method usually generates the lowest amount of retirement income.

If this is the method you’ve decided to select for generating retirement income, then the same kinds of investments I mentioned above work well here, too — with a caveat. Here’s one scenario you want to avoid: exhausting your savings because you invested well above 50 percent of your assets in stocks, withdrew too aggressively (well over 4 percent of your account balances), and experienced a stock market decline in the first 10 years of your retirement.

To protect against this possibility, either invest conservatively (with under 50 percent of your assets in stocks) or withdraw conservatively (take out just 3.5 percent or less of your savings each year or both. Frankly, I’d rather see you hold back on withdrawals in your early years of retirement and only increase your withdrawals if you experience positive returns for 10 years or more to make sure you don’t outlive your money. T. Rowe Price has a good online calculator to help estimate failure rates of different combinations of asset allocations and withdrawal rates. You should use it to help you figure out an asset allocation and withdrawal plan that works best for you.

Be sure not to overlook your 401(k) plan at work for investments that can generate income in retirement. It’s possible your plan offers funds similar to the ones I’ve described in this post with lower fees than you can get as a retail customer with a financial institution.

Stay tuned for my next post, which discusses the best ways to buy an annuity.

Dr John Smith: Cransley Hospice staff can hold their heads up high

Our heads go down and we mutter something like “it was nothing, anyone could have done it”.

That may be the case, but it generally isn’t, for we have made the choice to care about someone, when others might have walked away.

So it’s heads up and a big thank you for saying that.

This week it happened to me. I hadn’t seen the lady for 16 years when she said “hello”. To be honest I could not recognise her and said so. No worries because it was a long time ago when her mum was a patient in the hospice. Sixteen years on and she wanted to thank me for the care that was given.

She hadn’t forgotten and did not want to forget. What was a difficult time became a good time, and out of that time came even more good because some time later she began to work in the hospice too. It made sense of the tragedy and the memories that she has are good ones. There are no regrets.

The word hospice literally means a resting place on a journey. In the sense that we use it today the journey is coming to an end.

To rest we need support and good symptom control, to rest we need to know that our family and friends are being cared for, to rest we need people to listen to us, to hear our fears, to hear us say thank you for the life that we have been given and, yes, to be able to express our regrets for what we have struggled with, for the wrongs we may have done, to seek forgiveness and to be forgiven.

Hospice is often the place where we begin to make sense of our lives, a sort of summing up of what we have been, what we are and what we mean to others.

It is when this happens that people express their thanks. And it is not a transitory thank you either, it is almost lifelong. Yes, I can hold my head up high and Cransley Hospice and its staff should too.

About us

Welcome to Emerald Schools

raising role models

Emerald High School was established in 2005 as a progression from the highly academically successful Emerald Nursery and Primary School in Lagos, which was established in 1995. The establishment of Emerald High School was in response to the yearnings of parents in the primary school and the need to bridge the gap in providing high quality Secondary School Education in the country. We are aware of the problems of today’s child, which include a hostile society that has not much to offer by way of values/morals and cramped learning environment, which do not help the child to attain his/her full potentials. With a view to making the difference, we at Emerald took cognizance of the gaps in the education sector in deciding what facilities and personnel to emplace, right from the inception of the school.

The permanent site, which became operational from September 2007 gives us even a better opportunity to explore all possibilities in child development. It is located in a 34 acres farmland in the serene valley of the sleepy Ogunrun-Ori Village in Ogun State, a mere 25 minutes leisurely drive from the former Toll Gate at the Lagos end of the Lagos-Ibadan Express Road. It is easily accessible from every part of the country by road or by air through Ibadan or Lagos axis. It is indeed an ideal learning environment because of its calm and beautiful scenery and insulation from city noise.

The Board of Governors, which is made up of men and women who have distinguished themselves in their chosen professions, which include Accounting, Banking, Human Resources Management, Education and Public Service, is very confident of the quality of education it has fashioned out. No wonder then that many of the members have/had their children in the school.

The school believes in building a solid foundation for the child, and as such goes to great length in emplacing holistic education programmes that incorporates best practices.We are always conscious of our vision of becoming a widely acclaimed school both locally and internationally and as such, we strive to turn out students with passion for excellence and who have been adequately prepared for tertiary education and life. We have put in place modern structures, quality manpower, condusive environment and adequate support services that a good school needs to run smoothly. Furthermore we have emplaced good security measures, students’ performance enhancing programmes, co-curricular activities, foreign Students exchange programmes coupled with regular visits to places of educational and social interest. We operate a robust information technology platform where students and teachers interact through their laptops and wide range network to complement classroom delivery.

We handle with care the health and comfort of our students. The hostels are run by competent personnel and that are constantly being trained to cope with day to day challenges of a modern day hostel. The clinic is stocked with good quality drugs under the supervision of qualified matrons and other experienced medical staff. We have a working agreement with a nearby high standard hospital where health cases are referred and treated when the need arises.

Our curriculum is a blend of British and Nigerian curriculum and the students write the following examinations: IGCSE, Checkpoint, NECO (Junior School) BECE and WASSCE. We also tutor students for TOEFL and SAT.

The results have been impressive over the years and to sustain this, our teachers are regularly trained both locally and abroad. All students have an insurance cover provided by a prominent insurance service provider. The insurance policy covers the students to the extent that in the unlikely event of the loss of the breadwinner (who is named in the policy) while in the school, they are able to continue their education.

The parents play a very important role in determining some of the policies of the school on the platform of the Parents Management Forum(PMF). The PMF of the school is headed by officers of high reputation and commitment who have been elected from the Parents. The parents on this platform partner with the school on various fronts in the education of the children.

Your choice of Emerald High School is a good decision and it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to Emerald High School, where together, we shall raise role models.

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The Grace Academy combines the control and flexibility of traditional homeschooling with the teacher support of a private Christian online school. It’s a great solution for new Christian homeschooling families who need an alternative to the public school, as well as homeschooling veterans who want to eliminate the mundane tasks such as lesson planning and grading, to allow for more time for all the other jobs of parenting! With The Grace Academy, you get the best of both worlds!

No wonder Christian online homeschooling is fast becoming the most popular way to homeschool. Moms are finding it much easier for the long haul because they do not have to do all of that TEACHER PREP, PLANNING, GRADING, and CREATING LESSONS. Our state-of-the-art Christian online homeschooling program does it all for you. Created by homeschoolers for homeschoolers who know what you need to succeed.

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Online Homeschooling is the best thing to happen to our family! The online Christian curriculum at The Grace Academy is truly amazing. As long time Christian Homeschoolers, we have tried lots of programs, but my children like Grace the best. I also researched other online Christian homeschooling programs and was very disappointed. Grace is clearly the online education leader! The Wells Family

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5 Best Bible Apps for Christian Homeschooling students.

Written by The Grace Academy Wednesday, 5 November 2014 16:21

Comments Off on 5 Best Bible Apps for Christian Homeschooling students.

Bible apps can be of great help for all Christian homeschooling students. For one thing, they will help students carry the word of God with them right on their androids and IOS. They can access the bible on the go and stay closer to God. The Bible says we should keep the word of God in our heart as a means of overcoming sin. Apps can greatly enhance that, and in the process make practical Christian living a fun rather than a difficult task.

The following are popular apps young Christians have discovered to help them live the word of God.

YouVersion. Helps to personalize your need for the word of God. This is an app for both IOS and androids. It contains 100 different bible versions, in multiple languages and different reading plans, making it easy for you to quickly pick a plan that suits your schedule. This has been downloaded on over 86 million devices worldwide.

BibleIS. Makes it possible for you to see, hear and read the bible in a practical form. It also contains more bible translations.

Crossway ESVBible. An app that helps you to carry your ESV bible with you wherever you go, and you can even access it without an internet connection.

Glo Bible This bible study resource boast of the major four bible translations which include KJV, NIV, NKJV, and ESV. It also has images, interactives, maps, and videos to enhance bible understanding.

DailyBible This app makes daily bible reading and studying easy and fun with many different translations for support.

The above are apps that can make Christian homeschooling more lively and rewarding

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Lower School

PreK to Grade 5

At Bancroft School, we are not only knowledgeable about education, we are smart about kids. We know that every child is unique, so we base our teaching on flexibility and creativity. In the Lower School, small group and one-to-one learning grants teachers the opportunity to connect with students personally and adapt lessons to their individual learning styles, levels of mastery, and even their interests.

Middle School

Grades 6 to 8

Bancroft Middle School provides students with an education that s unsurpassed in excellence. From our individualized teaching approach to our interdisciplinary, globally focused curriculum to our broad range of extracurricular options, Bancroft students enjoy the full range of experiences they need to grow as self-aware, confident learners ready to thrive when they reach the Upper School.

Upper School

Grades 9 to 12

Bancroft s Upper School fosters much more than academic achievement it prepares students for the full range of intellectual, ethical, personal, and professional challenges they will face in college and beyond. Our rigorous liberal arts curriculum combined with countless opportunities for scholarly, athletic, artistic, social, workplace, and global engagement gives students the broad education they need to succeed in the world s top colleges and build meaningful careers and fulfilling lives.

Hope Graham Program

LBLD/Dyslexia

Building upon Bancroft’s commitment to nurture, respect, and educate diverse learners, the Hope Graham Program (HGP) at Bancroft School is designed for students with diagnosed language-based learning differences (LBLD), such as dyslexia, in Grades 2 through 8.

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The Bizphone service must be used in conjunction with the iiNet provided handset. The Bizphone handset requires direct Ethernet cabling to each phone. The service also requires a fixed broadband connection. BizPhone service is not available for telemarketing, call centre function and similar uses. Don’t worry if you’re unsure, one of our dedicated business specialists can help you out on 13 86 89 or have a look at our Frequently Asked Questions.

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How to move from a Single Server to High Availability with DAG

Introduction

A lot of small or medium sized companies started with a single Exchange Server box without any thoughts on high availability. The reason for this was that, especially with Exchange Server 2007, the high availability features have been so complex, that they don’t want to talk about them or that they never thought they really needed a high available messaging solution.

With Exchange Server 2010 things have changed: the new Database Availability Feature (so called DAG) makes high availability easier than before. Indeed, they don’t need to buy the Enterprise Edition of Exchange Server to provide high availability, the Standard Edition is enough.

Within this article I will describe an easy and perfectly working solution to migrate from a single server Exchange Server 2010 solution to one with high availability using Database Availability Groups.

Definition of a Database Availability Group (DAG)

With Exchange Server 2010, all high availability solutions that came with Exchange Server 2007 (called LCR, CCR, SCR and SCC) are moved to one feature called “Database Availability Group” (or in short, DAG).

DAG is available on Exchange Server 2010 Standard and Enterprise Edition. It does however rely on Windows Server Clustering which is available on Windows Server 2008 Enterprise or higher, you need the Enterprise Edition on the underlying Windows Operating System but with Exchange you only need the Standard Edition.

With this new feature you have the possibility to create database copies from each Exchange mailbox database to 15 other Exchange Servers running the Mailbox Server role using log file shipping. So Windows Server 2008 can handle that number of Mailbox Servers using the Failover Clustering Feature because it supports up to 16 servers per cluster.

DAG provides automatic failover; in case of an error on the database running on one mailbox server there is an automatic switch to another server although hosting the same database. In addition you can configure a “self-healing” feature for the databases so that in the event of an error in one database you can re-replicate all data back to that database which is in error state.

Database Availability Group Deployment Plans

If you are thinking of moving to the new DAG feature, you should think of some more things that may come around during this migration project:

Mailbox Server high availability is based on DAG and DAG is based on Windows Failover Clustering You cannot provide high availability for Client Access or Hub Transport on the same machine because these roles can only be set to high availability using Network Load Balancing (NLB)

You need to provide cluster functionality in your environment This means you need to create a separate heartbeat LAN.

Based on the facts above, providing real high availability means you should have to think of the following server structure:

Deployment and Migration

So if you move from an all-in-one server solution to a DAG based high availability solutions, you just need to perform the steps described below. You should however make sure that you are running these tasks during non-business hours, because you will have to restart the existing server more than once. In addition you are moving the Hub Transport and Client Access role to other servers which may result in disconnections and the risk of dropping email connections since your internal Exchange environment will not hold the queues during the unavailability of these features. I suggest placing Exchange Edge Servers in front of your messaging environment in the DMZ (also called Perimeter Network).

Make sure that Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Edition or higher is installed (if not you need to run an in-place upgrade)

Create a second dedicated Private LAN for the cluster heartbeat available to connect on both DAG servers

Install the Windows Failover Clustering Role on the formerly single Exchange Server

Configure the Failover Clustering feature on the server

Configure the DAG feature on Exchange Server 2010

Move all mailboxes from the old mailbox store to the new DAG based mailbox store

Decommission the old non high available mailbox store

Now we have one Exchange Server running a DAG but not providing any high availability features at all.

We then need to prepare the new Exchange Servers for Client Access and Hub Transport as follows:

Install Windows Server on both new servers (Standard Edition is enough, because it already provides Network Load Balancing)

Configure Network Load Balancing on both servers

Install the Exchange Server 2010 Client Access and Hub Transport role on both servers

Configure Client Access and Hub Transport role to run in a network loading balancing environment

Remove the Client Access and Hub Transport role from the formerly single Exchange Server

Afterwards we need to put the second mailbox server that will host the DAG in the future online, this will be done as follows:

Install Windows Server Enterprise Edition on the new server

Install Exchange Server 2010 Mailbox Server Role on the new server

Configure this new Exchange Server to host the DAG-Dabase(s)

After having finished all these tasks your Exchange Server 2010 messaging environment will run a highly available Exchange infrastructure. You never need to think of single server failures anymore. There is one thing you should not forget; make sure to add all your Exchange Servers into your backup infrastructure. In addition, you should think of placing 50% of the servers (this means one for each Exchange role) into your backup datacenter in another building. Window Server 2008 R2 Failover Clustering is designed to support spread clusters even across subnets.

Conclusion

As you have seen in this article there is a supported solution with Exchange Server 2010 to move from a single server infrastructure to a new high available messaging solution without completely decommissioning the former single server totally. The migration path is smooth and easy to handle if you know what you are doing and you are running your “step-by-step” walkthrough discussed above.

LONG TERM DEPOSITS Grow your investment – compare term deposits

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Long Term Deposits

If you are looking to invest your money somewhere that is safe and secure, without the need to constantly worry about the return of interest, then long term deposits might be your answer. Most long term deposits are tiered which means they offer better interest rates for larger deposit amounts. For example, you might get a better rate if you deposited $50,000 as opposed to $10,000. And RateCity makes this all the more easy to compare – you can enter in the amount of money you would like to deposit and we ll display a list of term deposit offered by hundreds of financial institutions for that particular deposit amount and ranked by the highest interest rates.

Long term deposits are usually featured with higher interest rates than shorter term deposits and that’s because financial institutions want to encourage people to deposit their money for a longer period of time. That way they can in effect make better investments out of your money because they have the almost certain guarantee that you will leave your money in the account for the contracted period.

Compare from the long term term deposit accounts listed in the table above.

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This is an information service. By browsing on the website and/or using our search tools, you are asking RateCity to provide you with information about products from multiple financial institutions. We will try to show you a range of products in response to your request for information. The search results do not include all providers and may not compare all features relevant to you, for further details refer to our FSCG. The rating shown is only one factor to take into account when considering these products. We are not a credit provider, and in giving you product information we are not making any suggestion or recommendation to you about a particular credit product. If you decide to apply for a product, you will deal directly with a financial institution, and not with RateCity. Rates and product information should be confirmed with the relevant financial institution, and you should review the PDS before you decide to purchase. See our terms of use for further details. This advice is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this advice is right for you.

Term deposits Vs savings accounts: What’s best for you?

Where should one stash their cash: savings accounts or term deposits?Andrea Sophocleous investigates.

September 7, 2009

Saving hasn t always been fashionable. Before the global financial crisis began taking its toll on years of economic prosperity and consumer hedonism, excessive spending was a national in fact, global pastime.

Australia may have escaped the full grunt of the GFC, but the new mood of thrifty restraint appears to be hanging around a little longer. This is the perfect environment in which to begin saving for that next rainy day or home loan deposit. And with interest rates set to rise further, so could your savings.

Higher interest rates won t just increase your mortgage repayments ; on the plus side, they could also increase the interest you earn on your high interest savings account .

Savings accounts differ from day-to-day transactional accounts by being designed to help you save for a long-term goal. While you can access your everyday account for all your spending needs using debit cards, ATMs or the internet, any money you deposit in a savings account remains out of everyday reach and accrues interest on the growing balance.

You can make withdrawals whenever you like, but this would make a dent in the amount of interest you are paid. A more prudent option, therefore, is to make regular fortnightly or monthly deposits but no withdrawals.

A high interest savings account, however, is not your only option if you want to get serious about saving. If you are easily tempted into spending rather than saving, a term deposit may be a more suitable path for you to take.

Like savings accounts, term deposits are a low-risk, convenient way to earn higher interest on your money, but because you cannot withdraw any money during the life of your term deposit, your cash will remain safely tucked away, growing at a healthy rate.

Term deposits require a minimum opening balance usually at least $5,000 and can last anywhere from 30 days to five years. The rate is fixed for the duration of the term deposit, so you know exactly how much money you will end up with.

If you already have a few thousand dollars saved, a term deposit is a smart choice because you will start earning a decent amount of money in interest straight away. And if you won t need access to the money too soon, opting for a longer term makes more sense because depending on the term, you could score a higher interest rate.

For example, a 30-day term deposit with ING Direct will see you pocket interest at 3.25 percent p.a. while a two-year term deposit will deliver a more profitable 6.00 percent p.a. interest. So $10,000 will earn $26.71 in interest in 30 days, while after two years your nest egg will be up by $1,200.

As with all financial decisions, shop around for the term deposit that suits your needs. And ensure you won t need the money before your term expires otherwise you will have to wear the cost in hefty fees. If you are starting from scratch, a high interest savings account is a better option because most do not require a minimum opening balance.

The ING Direct Savings Maximiser account will dish out 4.75 percent p.a to new customers who signs up before November 30. This special introductory rate will last until 31 January 2010. Other generous high interest savings accounts include UBank s USaver account, which offers 5.11 percent p.a interest, and Westpac s Reward Saver with a 4.70 percent p.a rate.

There are hundreds of savings accounts to choose from, so researching and comparing interest rates and terms and conditions is essential.

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This is an information service. By browsing on the website and/or using our search tools, you are asking RateCity to provide you with information about products from multiple financial institutions. We will try to show you a range of products in response to your request for information. The search results do not include all providers and may not compare all features relevant to you, for further details refer to our FSCG. We are not a credit provider, and in giving you product information we are not making any suggestion or recommendation to you about a particular credit product. If you decide to apply for a product, you will deal directly with a financial institution, and not with RateCity. Rates and product information should be confirmed with the relevant financial institution, and you should review the PDS before you decide to purchase. See our terms of use for further details. This advice is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this advice is right for you.

High Risk Auto Insurance

Contents

High risk car insurance is the insurance category reserved for drivers with past driving violations, inexperience behind the wheel, or poor credit. If you meet any of this criteria many insurance companies will consider you a high risk driver and your car insurance premiums will be higher as a result. There’s still hope though: while some insurance companies won’t insure a motorist with ANY marks on their driving record, there are plenty of reputable carriers who will insure high risk drivers.

How much does High Risk Auto Insurance cost?

Drivers that fall under any of the high risk categories will see their insurance costs rise relative to the average driver. To give you a sense of what the difference between these rates are we compiled data across all 50 states for three categories of high risk drivers to help you understand how much more these premiums can cost you. Note that these rates are the averages of different policies for high risk drivers insured by GEICO, Allstate, Nationwide, and MetLife. These averages do not include rates for insurance through each state’s residual pools.

With many of the factors under your control, it shows why it is quite important for drivers to maintain a clean record, as the extra costs can quickly add up. If you’re interested you can check out our methodology below to see how we compiled these numbers

Best High Risk Auto Insurance Companies (Average Premiums)

If you arleady fall into one of the High Risk categories, some companies may be cheaper than others when it comes to insuring you. We took a look at major companies compare when it comes to the insurance premiums they offer higher risk drivers. While your rates will differ from the sample in our study, our list can help you figure out where to begin. Below we’ll take a look at the average annual premium amount for the four companies we looked at (GEICO, Allstate, MetLife, Nationwide) for each of the three scenarios:

On average GEICO turned out to be the cheapest high risk auto insurance company of the bunch in both the speeding and young driver scenarios. For the ‘DUI + Accident’ scenario GEICO was edged out slightly by Allstate with an nationwide annual average of $2,298 per year versus GEICO’s $2,493. This study is based on a select sample profiles so it may not reflect your circumstances and should only be used as guideline. To find cheaper high risk auto insurance, you should compare quotes from multiple companies. If you’re interested in getting a list of companies in your area enter your zipcode below and click through to get a quote.

Find The Cheapest Auto Insurance Quotes In Your Area

What Determines If You Are a High Risk Driver?

If you’ve been convicted of driving under the influence, your premiums will be going up. Once you get your license back, you’ll need to carry DUI insurance, otherwise referred to as SR22. SR22 is the highest risk coverage a car insurance company can carry and will need to be filed with your state DMV to reinstate your driving privileges. You’ll also need to have your SR22 on file with the DMV for up to 5 years after your DUI incident. States will vary in how long your DUI will show up on your driving record, but be prepared for insurance companies to charge you higher rates as long as your DUI is still on record.

Young drivers, such as students, are also qualified as high risk. Statistically, drivers in their youth are at a higher risk of getting into an auto accident and insurance carriers adjust their premiums accordingly.

Regardless of age, drivers who are newly licensed will always face higher insurance rates than seasoned drivers who’ve been driving for a longer period of time. That being said, there is one way to work around this rule: have someone add you to their existing policy. This shortcut ensures your premiums will be lower than going it alone.

Lapse in insurance coverage

Regardless of why you dropped your last car insurance policy, you’re going to find premiums are higher now that you’re reapplying. The good news is that over time, and once you prove to the insurance company that you’re a responsible driver, you’re premiums will drop back down to normal rates. The bad news is that it may take 6 months or more for your policy premiums to decrease.

Yes, you read that right. People who have a poor credit history will also be deemed high risk drivers. Why is this the case? Insurance companies are essentially placing millions of bets, in the form of insurance policies, and to decrease their risk they want to insure responsible people. They’ve determined that checking your credit history is a quick and easy screen to ballpark your level of responsibility in advance of insuring you. Fortunately there are some insurance carriers who don’t do credit checks, but you’ll have to be diligent in your search to find them.

Other serious driving violations

While getting a DUI falls into this category, you’ll also find it no surprise that your insurance premiums will spike if you have any other type of serious driving violation (hit and run, road rage, excessive speeding). Higher insurance premiums may be the least of your worries, however, as many of these moving violations are considered felonies which could result in you spending time behind bars.

3 Things To Remember When Looking For High Risk Auto Insurance

1. Compare and contrast providers in your area

We recommend getting online quotes from as many insurance providers as you can. Until you get your quotes, you’re never quite sure which carrier will be able to give you the lowest rate. Fortunately, the internet has made a once painful experience much easier by allowing you to apply for quotes, compare and contrast results, and choose the best plan, all from the comfort of home.

2. Being a high risk driver doesn’t last forever

While insurance companies may view you as high risk today, you’ll be happy to know your status will change once you’ve proven you’re safe and responsible. Yes, certain things like getting a DUI will keep you paying increased premiums for an extended period, but most other high risk drivers can begin paying lower rates in a much shorter time frame.

3. There are steps you can take to lower your rate

You don’t just have to sit there and wait for your insurance rate to drop. With few exception, proactive measures like working to improve your credit score, getting good grades as a student, or taking driving classes after a violation, are all methods you have at your disposal. Just remember, your insurance company will want proof of these measures, so it’s best to keep good records submit them to the carrier when you’re ready.

Methodology

ValuePenguin sampled high risk auto insurance rates for the largest city in each state across four car insurance companies where available: GEICO, Allstate, MetLife and Nationwide. Our hypothetical driver was a 30 year old male driving a 2010 Toyota Camry. He drives 10-15k miles per year on average primarily commuting to and from work. Liability coverage is set to the legal state minimum. For the “speeding” scenario, it was assumed that our driver had received a 20 over the speed limit citation in the last 5 years. For our “DUI + Accident” scenario it was assumed that the driver had a DUI or DWI and also, in either the same or a separate incident, had been at fault in an accident where someone was injured. In the “Young Driver” scenario our driver was an 18 year old male with the same specifications listed above.

Surveyed auto insurance costs are for illustrative purposes only and actual quotes will vary based on your physical residence, driving history, and other factors.

Health Accounts

Health Accounts

1 “Never Lose it” refers to account portability and annual rollover of accumulated assets, it does not imply you cannot lose money. The investment portion of the HSA account is not FDIC insured, not bank guaranteed and may lose value.

2 About Triple Tax Advantages: You can receive tax-free distributions from your HSA to pay or be reimbursed for qualified medical expenses you incur after you establish the HSA. If you receive distributions for other reasons, the amount you withdraw will be subject to income tax and may be subject to an additional 20% tax. Any interest or earnings on the assets in the account are tax free. You may be able to claim a tax deduction for contributions you, or someone other than your employer, make to your HSA. Bank of America recommends you contact qualified tax or legal counsel before establishing a HSA.

3 In order to offer payroll deduction, an employer’s cafeteria plan must comply with Internal Revenue Code Section 125.

4 The Internal Revenue Service publishes a list of qualified expenses in Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses available at www.irs.gov.

5 This HSA debit card program is issued by Bank of America, N.A. Visa is a registered trademark of Visa International Service Association, and is used by the issuer pursuant to license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.

6 Data connection required. Wireless carrier fees may apply. Mobile app not available on all devices.

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Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.

Bank of America makes available The HSA for Life Health Savings Account as a custodian only. The HSA for Life is intended to qualify as a Health Savings Account as set forth in Internal Revenue Code Section 223. However, the account beneficiary that establishes the HSA is solely responsible for ensuring that he/she satisfies the Health Savings Account eligibility requirements set forth in Section 223. If an individual/employee establishes a Health Savings Account and he/she is not otherwise eligible, he/she will be subject to adverse tax consequences. In addition, an employer who makes contributions to an HSA of an ineligible individual may also be subject to adverse tax consequences. We recommend that HSA applicants and/or employers contact qualified tax or legal counsel before establishing a Health Savings Account.

Bank of America does not sponsor or maintain the Flexible Spending Accounts or Health Reimbursement Arrangements that you establish. Those programs are sponsored and maintained solely by the employer. Bank of America is nothing more than a claims administrator who performs ministerial administrative tasks with respect to such arrangements pursuant to agreement with the employer. The employer is solely responsible for ensuring that such arrangements comply with all applicable laws.

The planning tools and information calculators are illustrative only, and accuracy is not guaranteed. They are intended to provide a comparative tool for various consumer health care options and potential costs and savings of those options. Bank of America and its affiliates are not tax or legal advisors. The calculators are not intended to offer any tax, legal or financial advice and do not assure the availability of or your eligibility for any specific product offered by Bank of America or its affiliates. Please consult with qualified professionals to discuss your situation. This site may contain links to third-party content, which may be articles, videos, or calculators, regarding health plans only as a convenience. Some articles, videos and calculators may have been written and produced by third parties not affiliated with Bank of America or any of its affiliates.

Neither Bank of America nor any of its affiliates provide legal, tax, accounting or benefits consulting advice. Please consult with your own attorney or tax advisor to understand the tax and legal consequences of your HSA, Health FSA and/or HRA plan or program offerings to your employees and your particular situation in your capacity as employer and/or plan administrator.

This material should be regarded as general information on health care considerations and is not intended to provide specific health care advice.

All trademarks and service marks belong to Bank of America Corporation unless otherwise noted.

For accounts opened prior to 12/1/2016 mutual fund investment services are provided by Devenir, LLC, a registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/SIPC. Devenir, LLC provides investment services through its affiliate Devenir Investment Advisors, LLC, which is a registered investment adviser. Devenir, LLC is not an affiliate of Bank of America Corporation. Investments in mutual funds are held in an omnibus account at MLPF ?>

The Landmark London Hotel

Afternoon Tea

One of England s finest traditions, the Winter Garden s award winning Afternoon Tea in London is the perfect way to enjoy your afternoon.

Indulge in an assortment of sandwiches, freshly baked scones and French pastries as well as our selection of freshly brewed leaf and herbal tea. You can even treat yourself to a selection of mouth-watering chocolate delights with our Chocolate Afternoon Tea in London.

Also, look out for our seasonal Afternoon Teas for a true treat.

Visit The Landmark London hotel for Afternoon Tea to unwind after a busy morning or to prepare for a glamorous evening out in The Capital. Browse through our delectable Afternoon Tea menu to set your tastebuds tingling and book now to secure your seat.

It’s been almost twenty years since the Health Care Finance Administration (now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ) sent a memo to hospices announcing the first widespread, in-depth review of hospice medical records and patient eligibility. Focused Medical Review, as it was called in 1994, was just the beginning of the government’s search for fraud and waste in hospice.

Prior to this action, hospices that had largely avoided widespread regulatory scrutiny were suddenly being held accountable to a much higher documentation standard than ever before. During this audit, hospices struggled to demonstrate through their documentation that patients who had already died, often within days or weeks of admission, met eligibility requirements for hospice. In the days before Webinars or online education, hospices were challenged with the means to disseminate education to their staff to teach them to “paint the picture” of medical eligibility.

Today, hospices are once again facing intense scrutiny of their documentation as Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) are sending notices of Probe Edits and Additional Document Requests (ADRs). The burden on staff and financial resources to respond to these audits is taking a toll on hospices under review. Once again, many hospices are finding that they lack the documentation required to paint a picture of eligibility.

The criteria used to determine eligibility for the Hospice Medicare Benefit is specific to each MAC, and changes periodically based on new prognostication tools and research. Hospices should use the disease-specific criteria outlined in each MAC’s Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs) to determine if someone is or continues to be eligible for hospice under Medicare.

Documentation of disease-specific criteria, along with supporting information such as description of the patient’s illness trajectory, pertinent co-morbid and secondary conditions, severity of symptoms, declining functional, cognitive and nutritional status, and overall burden of illness are critical to depicting why this patient will probably die within six-months or less.

All hospice staff should be fully aware of and utilize their LCD guidelines and disease-specific criteria to document eligibility for each admission and every recertification.

Ask yourself the following questions to determine if your hospice team has the education and tools that they need to paint the picture of eligibility:

Are the LCDs easily accessible to all admission and IDT staff – either on their laptop, smartphone or in a handy printed resource?

Does your team refer to LCD criteria when discussing recertification during IDT meetings?

Does each patient’s medical record include documentation regarding his or her prognosis, both upon admission and in each recertification note?

Do your physician narratives contain key elements based upon LCD guidelines that lead the reader to the conclusion that the patient is terminally ill?

Do you conduct monthly chart audits to ensure that best practices for documenting medical eligibility are being followed?

Are ALL staff trained and regularly retrained on how to document to the LCDs, including documentation of co-morbid conditions to support medical eligibility?

If you answered “No” to any of the questions below, your hospice may be at risk for financial penalties in the event of an audit. Comprehensive documentation that paints the picture of initial and ongoing eligibility is paramount to the ongoing survival of your hospice. Training, along with ongoing chart reviews, is the best insurance you can have against future MAC audits, probes, and ADRs.

Looking for an efficient and cost-effective way to teach your entire team how to document to the LCDs? The Hospice Education Network’s Disease-Specific Hospice Eligibility Determination and Documentation Series is for you!

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Charles V. (Chuck) Wellman, MD FAAHPM, is Chief Medical Director of Hospice of the Western Reserve in Cleveland, OH, and chair of AAHPM’s Leadership and Workforce Strategic Coordinating Committee

It is with great pleasure that we can finally announce the availability of the AAHPM Physician Compensation and Benefits Survey Report . Two years ago a poll of AAHPM’s members indicated a strong interest in such a survey. Earlier surveys, while helpful, suffered from a low rate of participation and from a lack of depth and refinement in the data. Consequently, the Academy’s Board of Directors charged the Business Practice Task Force to select a vendor who could help to design and implement such a survey. As a co-chair of the Task Force at the time and as current chair of our Leadership and Workforce Strategic Coordinating Committee, I can attest to the many hours that Task Force members spent on this process and the challenges we faced in dealing with the complexity and variability in our field.

The complexity is and will continue to be a challenge. HPM practitioners come from many different backgrounds. We work fulltime and part-time. We work for hospices, hospitals, the Veterans Administration, or as independent practitioners. Some of us are on salary while others have productivity-based compensation. We measure productivity in different ways. Some of us are in academic settings, and many of us have administrative, research, and teaching responsibilities. We have great variability in titles with no consistent agreement on chief medical officer, medical director, associate medical director, and team physician. As you might imagine, each iteration of the survey resulted in further discussion, and we realized a constant tension between designing a thorough, comprehensive survey versus a survey that might be too complex or time-consuming. In the end we find ourselves very pleased and grateful that nearly 800 of us were willing to complete this survey.

One will find that there is a wealth of data in this survey. It tells us a lot about who we are in this relatively young field. It will help to establish ranges of benefits and compensation, which will be increasingly important as we strive to attract residents and mid-career physicians to our field. The survey will give us greater flexibility in negotiating work hours, time off, productivity expectations, and CME benefits. There were also questions about job satisfaction, and it is exciting and gratifying to know 96% of us are satisfied or very satisfied with our profession and 93% of us are likely or very likely to recommend a career in HPM.

This entry was posted by Administrator on July 18, 2011 at 12:50 PM, and is filled under Business Practice. Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Resources. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

The survey of AAHPM membership on compensation, and the imminent release of its findings, surely represents a major step in the maturation of the specialty. As the practice and role of HPM physicians evolves within the larger health care system, having a deep understanding of current compensation patterns is essential to advancing the value proposition of the future HPM physician. As Dr. Wellman states, the Report tells us a lot about who we are in this relatively young field. Indeed it does. Every physician interested in advancing one s career in Hospice and Palliative Medicine would do well to purchase a copy.

#2 written by Stacie Bering MD about 5 years ago

I am delighted that this survey is available. However I question why it is so expensive. Maybe having online access to the report without acces to Mercer PayMonitor. The price is a little steep for those of us in a small team!

#3 written by Administrator about 5 years ago

Dr. Bering, thank you for your feedback.

The survey report pricing reflects the Academy’s effort to provide fair value to all of our members while keeping our annual dues as low as possible.

AAHPM has grown tremendously over the past 5 years (over a 100% increase in membership). As such, the organization now represents a very broad constituency with different interests and needs. When the Academy initiates projects that may not be of interest to all members, a fee is typically added to help defray these costs. In the case of the compensation survey, the product was specifically requested (via member survey) by a substantial number – but not all – of our members. So, product sales are intended to cover the costs of consultants, staff oversight, printing, marketing, and distribution so that these are not reflected in any dues increase.

The price point on this report is actually substantially lower than other similar surveys for other specialties. AAHPM looked at 40 national medical specialty societies to determine how those groups that conduct compensation surveys priced the resulting product. While many societies refer their members to participate in the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) compensation survey, some had conducted their own. Overall, the charge for a report of survey data, whether packaged as a printed or e-product, ranged from no cost to over $700. It was typical for organizations to charge something and to offer discounts according to whether the purchaser was a survey participant or a member of the association.

AAHPM survey participants are receiving a discount on the purchase of the report and a free copy of the Executive Summary. AAHPM members will always benefit from a reduced rate on Academy products, and survey findings will be highlighted in the Academy’s newsletter, AAHPM Quarterly, which members will receive.